Luka Doncic on Saturday night walked toward the wrong locker room at halftime before a quick U-turn by the Lakers star in his second trip to Dallas since the shocking trade that sent him to Los Angeles almost a year ago.
At least he was not weeping on the bench before the game against the Mavericks, or still trying to process the emotions and everything that was new in the wake of a deal that stunned everybody in pro sports, not just the NBA.
A big fourth-quarter rally by the Lakers in a 116-110 victory over Dallas was a nice bonus for Doncic, who took another step toward the rest of his career with a visit to his first NBA city that was not nearly as emotional as his return in April last year.
Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
“There’s still emotions, trust me,” the NBA’s scoring leader said after going for 33 points and 11 assists and beating Dallas for the fourth time in four tries. “But a little bit better, a little bit easier for me. It’s unbelievable. I’ve still got a lot of fans here, players, some other people. I’m happy to be back.”
Doncic has tried to be clear that he is moving on after he wept on the LA bench during a video tribute when he was introduced before the game in Dallas last year.
The latest win snapped the Mavericks’ season-best streak of four straight victories — form that contrasts with the Lakers, who had lost six of their previous nine outings.
Doncic said the Dallas stadium is “always a special place for me,” joking that at halftime he had begun “going to the other tunnel... I was kind of confused.”
The game opened with veteran superstar LeBron James scoring at one end and last year’s draft first overall pick Cooper Flagg — 22 years his junior — responding immediately at the other.
Early in the game, Doncic became the youngest player in NBA history to score his 1,500th career three-pointer.
Maybe the next visit would be even a little bit easier.
“This is one year, and next year it’ll be two years and after that it’ll be three and we’ll just keep counting,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Luka’s moved on, and we’ve moved on.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, the New York Knicks downed the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109, the Charlotte Hornets stung the Washington Wizards 119-115, the Cleveland Cavaliers outplayed the Orlando Magic 119-105, the Chicago Bulls gored the Boston Celtics 114-111 and the Miami Heat silenced the Utah Jazz 147-116.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with AFP
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