By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Seconds after the Dallas Mavericks organization put up a tribute video for their former franchise superstar, Luka Doncic, it didn’t take long for the Slovenian to shed tears, knowing that he was back in the city that saw him as their basketball hero.
Two months since the seismic trade that sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, the entire American Airlines Center could still not believe that no. 77 is now wearing the shades of the purple and gold.
In his first return to Dallas, Doncic was nothing but spectacular. After erupting for 45 big points, he led the Lakers to a 112-97 victory on April 10, 2025.
Those tears fueled Doncic to perform under the bright lights of his first NBA home, and the multiple All-Star didn’t disappoint after already tallying 31 points at the half. From his signature step-back three-pointers to his one-handed smooth floaters, every personnel from the Lakers knew that this game was going to be personal for their new future superstar.
After 38 minutes of playing time, Doncic capped off the playoff-clinching victory with 45 big points built from an efficient 16/28 shooting from the field including 7/10 from the three-point line.
Doncic also did it all for the Lakers as he stuffed the stat sheets with eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
The moment that he was subbed out in the 1:34 mark of the fourth quarter, the whole Dallas fans in attendance then gave him a standing ovation, showing flowers and love to the man who revived their playoff hopes since getting drafted seven years ago.
“All these fans, I really appreciate it. All the teammates I had, everybody had my back. I love these fans, I love this city, but its time to move on,” Doncic said during his post-game interview.
However, it wasn’t the desired start that the Lakers wanted as the Mavericks still edged them by four points heading into the second quarter.
It was all because of Doncic’s offensive clinic that sparked the Lakers’ counterrun in the second, followed by another scoring spurt in the third that helped them take full control of the ball game.
LeBron James made sure his new star partner will have a fitting return in Dallas after chipping in 27 markers, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Rui Hachimura added 15 markers and two boards.
With the road win, Doncic and the Lakers are now 2-0 against the Mavericks since the blockbuster trade. Aside from the highly-anticipated rematch, the dub also ensured Los Angeles a spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.
“So many emotions. I had tears in my eyes. I came as a young kid here at 18, I don’t know what to expect from the NBA. But they made me feel at home,” Doncic added.
