By Los Angeles is no stranger to glitz, glamor and massive sporting events, and Tuesday night is no exception as the Dallas Mavericks head to the City of Angels to face off against Luka Dončić and the Lakers for the first time since the Slovenian’s trade to LA.
The deal involving one of the game’s biggest stars was among the most stunning in NBA history and made waves around the league. Current Mavs star Kyrie Irving said he was in a “grieving process” following the deal, while Dončić himself called it a “big shock.”
The game is also a homecoming of sorts for Anthony Davis, who played five-and-a-half seasons for the Lakers and won a title in his first year with the team, as LA fans embraced “AD” as one of their own. The Mavs big man, though, is out injured with a strained left adductor and will not feature in Tuesday night’s clash at Crypto.com Arena.
Tip-off for the Mavericks’ clash against the Lakers in Los Angeles is at 10 p.m. ET.
The game is being broadcast on TNT with streaming available on MAX.
While Dončić has said that he’s happy he joined the “greatest club in the world” and that it’s “a dream come true” to play with one of his heroes – four-time NBA champion LeBron James – some manner of revenge might be on the mind of the man who led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals before being traded away to LA against his wishes.
While he’s started his Lakers career slowly – LA has gone 2-2 and the former Mavs star is averaging just 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the four games he’s played since the move – Dončić looked like himself in a big 123-100 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, recording a game-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block on the night.
The situation heading into Tuesday night is something both his old and new teammates and coaches are all too aware of.
“The narrative is already written. I don’t know what else I could really add to that,” Irving said in his post-game press conference following the Mavs’ 126-102 road loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. “I would love to get into the emotions after the game with you, but before the game, it’s just about having fun and making sure that we lock in and have a deep focus.
“Luka is obviously gonna have a lot of confidence … He played well last game (against the Nuggets), so he’s feeling good and we’ve just got to be aware of it,” Irving added.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Lakers coach JJ Redick said that he thinks Dončić “will be fine” going up against his former team.
“Every day that he’s been with us, it’s becoming a little more normal,” added Redick. “I’ve been there. The first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it’s going to be weird. But he’ll be able to handle it.”
Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith added Monday, “I know he’s going to be ready, but I try not to put too much pressure on him because at the end of the day we just want to get the win. We get the win, I know he’s going to be happy.
“I think he’s gonna be excited, but everybody in the locker room is excited. We got his back.”
The Lakers are a league best 14-4 since January 15, according to the NBA, and 8-2 in their last 10, sitting fourth in the Western Conference. The Mavs, meanwhile, are 5-5 in their last 10 games but 5-2 in their last seven, bringing the team to eighth in the West.
