By In one of the most anticipated debuts in NBA history, Luka Dončić introduced himself to Lakers fans in winning fashion, helping Los Angeles to a dominant 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
The 25-year-old superstar received a raucous welcome from the home crowd at Crypto.com Arena, who were gifted No. 77 Dončić T-shirts in celebration of the blockbuster trade that brought him to the City of Angels on February 2.
“Special,” Dončić said of his first game in the famed purple and gold. “The way they received me, everybody, it was amazing to see. I was a little bit nervous before. I don’t remember when was the last time I was nervous before a game, but once I stepped out on the court, it was fun. Just being out there again felt amazing.”
Playing for the first time since Christmas Day due to a left calf strain, Dončić showed some rust, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 24 minutes of action. He also recorded five rebounds and four assists, giving the Lakers faithful a glimpse of what’s to come.
The five-time All-NBA selection wasted no time getting on the board, sinking a three-pointer from the top of the key in the opening minutes of the first quarter, leading to a loud roar from the fans.
Dončić shared the court with NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, who returned from a one-game absence to post a game-high 24 points, along with eight assists and seven rebounds.
James, seen warming up in a No. 77 Dončić T-shirt, offered words of encouragement before the game: “Don’t fit in, fit the f**k out.”
“It’s special for him to say something like that. It just feels amazing,” Dončić said. “It gives me confidence. And after that speech, there were chills. I was just happy to be a part of it.”
Monday night’s contest wasn’t particularly competitive as the fourth-ranked Lakers cruised to a sixth straight win with the rout of the lowly Jazz.
It was a who’s who in attendance to see Dončić, including Lakers superfans Adele and Will Ferrell, as well as Flea and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki was also in attendance.
Nowitzki, who played his entire career with the Mavericks, explained his decision to attend: “I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 in the first game of his new chapter.”
With his long-awaited debut behind him, Dončić and the Lakers now set their sights on the Jazz again on Wednesday in Salt Lake City as they look to continue their charge up the Western Conference standings.
A cornerstone of the league’s future, Dončić arrived in LA from Dallas as part of a three-team trade that sent shockwaves through the NBA. In exchange, the Mavericks acquired nine-time All-Star center Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. The deal also saw Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris head to Los Angeles.
Mavericks fans protested outside the team’s American Airlines Center before their game on Saturday, and after Davis’ promising debut was cut short by an adductor strain which could reportedly rule him out for up to a month, Dallas fans’ calls for the team’s general manager Nico Harrison to be fired and for the owners to sell the team have grown louder.
Multiple fans were ejected from the arena during the second half of the Mavs’ 129-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday due to them violating the NBA’s code of conduct, according to a team spokesperson.
Two of the ejected fans held signs which read “Fire Nico,” according to ESPN.
“In the first incident, the guest brought in a sign that broke the following rule included in the NBA Code of Conduct: Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s),” Mavericks vice president of corporate communications Erin Finegold said in a statement sent to CNN.
Two more men, one of whom was wearing Dončić’s Slovenian national team jersey, were also ejected after a shouting match with Mavs minority owner Mark Cuban, according to ESPN.
“In the second incident, the fan wore a T-shirt that also broke the rule (cited) and was also intoxicated, disruptive and uncooperative, all listed in the NBA Fan Code of Conduct,” Finegold said in the statement.
The Mavs’ injury woes also deepened on Monday, as the team lost center Daniel Gafford to a right knee sprain. Gafford had to be helped off the court in the second quarter, after suffering the injury setting a screen for Spencer Dinwiddie. With his injury, Dallas will now be without their frontcourt stars in Davis, Gafford, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell.
Dallas sits eighth in the Western Conference on 28-26, half a game ahead of the Kings and the Golden State Warriors, each of which have won their last two.
