Doncic roasted his former team 45 by scoring 45 points, leading his new squad to a 112-97 win over the Mavs in his former home.
DALLAS — Luka Doncic wiped tears from his eyes as he sat on the Lakers bench, looking up into the rafters at the American Airlines Center as a tribute video of his time as a Dallas Maverick played on the jumbotron. Moments later, he wiped away more.
Another highlight. More tears welling in his eyes. Another reach for the towel to quell his emotions.
Before the five-time All-NBA First Team honoree even took the floor, it was abundantly clear he never wanted to leave Dallas. A trade to Los Angeles on the first day of February rocked his world, disappointed countless Mavericks fans, and set the Mavs and Lakers down drastically different paths for the coming years. But it wasn’t because Doncic wanted it.
His emotion sitting on that bench pregame superseded any comment anyone could make on the matter. That raw, unbridled, gutting sadness that was written all over his face spoke volumes about what his time in Dallas meant and how much he wanted to stay there for his entire career.
That’s not an option anymore. Mavs general manager Nico Harrison and governor Patrick Dumont made sure of that, shipping him to Los Angeles in a trade that rocked the NBA world 68 days ago.
So, Doncic did the next best thing. He absolutely roasted his former team.
The former Mav, so accustomed to putting up monster numbers in the building, rained three after three on the AAC floor. He hit 6 of his 8 three three-pointers in the first half alone as part of a 31-point performance in the first two periods. He had played 19 minutes through those first two quarters. And he’d hit 11 of his 16 shots from the field, to help the Lakers lead by 3 at halftime, 60-57.
In the second half, it was much of the same. Doncic added 14 more points to the stat sheet for a total of 45, leading his new team to a 112-97 win over the Mavs in his former home.
Nearly every time the Lakers were at the free-throw line — and at least once when even the Mavs were at the charity stripe — Mavs fans erupted in “FIRE NICO!” chants that seemed to get louder and louder.
There’s no sugar coating it. There’s no denying it. Fans in the building Wednesday night were on Luka’s side of the ledger, by and large. And they’re furious about this trade, even 10 weeks later.