Lakers’ Luka Doncic glad to move past Mavericks game with tough slate ahead – San Bernardino Sun

LOS ANGELES — The emotional weight of the Lakers’ victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, Luka Doncic’s first game against the team he spent the first 6½ seasons of his NBA career with before stunningly being traded to the Lakers, was palpable well before the game started.

Fans gathered outside Crypto.com Arena earlier than normal before tipoff. Jordan Brand, the sportswear and apparel brand Doncic is signed to, released an advertisement earlier in the day with George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” as the soundtrack and the commercial showing a purple Koenigsegg having its Texas license plate with Doncic’s No. 77 being swapped for a California plate in Lakers’ colors. The exotic car made an appearance outside of the Lakers’ arena, drawing plenty of eyeballs.

And inside the arena, fans and media members gathered to watch Doncic’s every move.

From his pregame warmups to and interactions with his former teammates/co-workers – Doncic said he didn’t see Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who spearheaded Doncic’s trade from Dallas to the Lakers on Feb. 2 – to every shot, pass, defensive play and on-court interaction.

So when the final buzzer sounded on the Lakers’ third consecutive win and 15th victory in their last 19 games, with Doncic once again struggling with his shot (6 for 17) but still finishing with his first triple-double as a Laker (19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists to go with three steals and a pair of blocked shots), the 25-year-old Slovenian superstar was able to acknowledge but not fully articulate the whirlwind of Tuesday after being blindsided by the blockbuster trade 3½ weeks ago.

“It was just a lot of emotions and not much sleep,” he said. “I can’t even explain. It was a different game. Sometimes I [didn’t] know what I was doing. I’m just glad it’s over, honestly.”

When Doncic needed the support, his teammates were by his side, making plays to help secure the victory.

LeBron James (27 points, 12 rebounds and three assists) scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter and seven of the team’s final 16 after the Mavericks tied the game at 91-all midway through the fourth.

Dorian Finney-Smith, who was also a teammate of Doncic’s in Dallas, made several crucial plays late.

“Obviously there’s a lot of emotion that goes in when you give so much to a franchise and you sacrifice for a franchise and you have that type of love and respect for a franchise – throughout all the journeys,” James responded when asked how he thought Doncic handled Tuesday. “They went to the Finals [last June]. He’s grown from being an 18-, 19-year-old kid to now a 25-year-old man with a family.

“So you kind of grow into a family with the franchise and when you move on or they move on from you, it’s very emotional, obviously. It’s very taxing. It’s probably a lot of things that were going on in his head that probably didn’t even involve the game itself. And with that said, I thought he handled it tremendously.”

There will likely be even more emotions flowing for Doncic when the Lakers play the Mavericks in Dallas on April 9 – which will be his first game at American Airlines Center since being traded.

“The closure is going to take a while,” Doncic said. “It’s not ideal. But, like I said, I’m glad this game is over. There [were] a lot of emotions. But we go little by little, and every day is better.”

But by getting Tuesday behind them, Doncic and the Lakers can return their attention to one of the toughest stretches of their schedule.

Tuesday was the second of five consecutive games – and 11 of 15 matchups – against teams contending for a playoffs/play-in tournament spot.