There's been no bigger story in the sports world since the beginning of the year than the trade that sent Luka Dončić to Los Angeles to join the Lakers and Anthony Davis to Dallas to be a Maverick. Heck, there's been no bigger story in years.
The two teams have gone against each other just once since consummating the trade, with the Lakers winning 107-99 back in late February at Crypto.com Arena. Luka put up a triple-double in that game, though it felt a bit unsatisfying as the Mavs were without Anthony Davis and half of the rest of their roster.
On Wednesday night, Luka made his long-anticipated return to Dallas, and this time, all the pieces were in place for a memorable event. The Slovenian star and the Brow were both healthy and in the lineup, and Luka was extra motivated after being ejected from Tuesday night's loss at the Thunder due to a questionable technical (which has since been rescinded).
The Lakers came into the game in third in the West but needing another victory or two to ensure their standing, while the Mavs were pretty locked in to either the No. 9 or No. 10 seed. Both teams badly wanted a win though, not only because the playoffs are so close and it's important to be peaking at the right time, but because this is the first true referendum on the trade.
Nearly everyone in the basketball world agreed that the Lakers got by far the best of this deal, and that's been borne out by the disparate fortunes of the two teams since the trade. Luka has clearly been able to make more of an impact on his new team than AD has on his, but there's also no better way to prove that Mavs general manager Nico Harrison made a mistake than to beat him in his own arena and make him watch alongside 20,000 people that hate his guts.
Luka, as expected, received a hero's welcome from the Dallas crowd, as well he should have. After all, he didn't force his way out of town as so many other superstars have done, and in fact he was just as blindsided by the trade as everyone else that had their world rocked by Shams Charania on that fateful early February night. Whether it was a pregame tribute video or a standing ovation when his name was announced in the starting lineup, Luka definitely felt the love.
Luka Dončić was the living embodiment of seller's remorse on Wednesday night
If Harrison didn't regret trading Luka in the immediate aftermath of the most shocking transaction in NBA history, surely he has in the more than two months since. Mavericks fans have been in full-on rebellion, chanting "Fire Nico" and bringing signs to the game with the same message. Harrison seems to have security around him at all times these days, a sad reality but also one of his own making for trading away such a beloved player.
It also hasn't helped that the two teams have gone in opposite directions since the deal. The Lakers are 21-12 since adding Luka, moving up from fifth in the West to nearly clinching third and home-court advantage in the first round. The Mavs have gone 12-18 to slip from ninth to 10th, guaranteeing that they'll finish under .500 just one year after reaching the Finals.
Harrison repeatedly touted that the Mavs were better equipped to win a title with Davis, but they'll now have to win two play-in games just to reach the playoffs, and their reward for that unlikely scenario will be facing the Thunder, a.k.a. the best team in the league, in Round 1.
The Lakers may not be the favorites, but they're in the conversation after beating the Rockets and the Thunder, who are the two top teams in the West, in the past week.
So what did Luka do to his old team?
I assume we've all seen the movie Grease. Luka's performance on Wednesday night was the basketball equivalent of Sandy showing up in head-to-toe leather in the final sequence of the movie, only instead of sailing away with Danny in a flying car at the end, she ran him over with it.
Everything was working for Luka, most notably his 3-point shot, which found the bottom of the net seven out of 10 times. He had his way all night, and when it was all said and done, he had dropped 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals on his old team. Juxtaposed against Anthony Davis' 13 points and 11 rebounds, it left no doubt about who won the trade. Our own Lior Lampert went over Luka's five best moments from the game, and I imagine it wasn't easy to choose only five.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick joked afterward that Luka should have scored 50, a remark which will only rub salt in the wound for Mavericks fans. This was their guy, the one they were supposed to spend the next decade chasing championships with, but now he was in their house tearing them to shreds.
Winning by 15 on the road is an impressive achievement any time, but especially given the emotional baggage and pressure Luka must have felt to perform well in his first game back. This is a great sign for the Lakers' playoff hopes, because if he could handle something like this, then anything else should feel like a walk in the park.