Emotional return for Luka Doncic and Mavericks fans in his first game at Dallas since being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Luka Doncic scored 31 of his 45 points in the first half of his highly anticipated Dallas homecoming as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers locked up a playoff spot with a 112-97 win against the Mavericks.
Doncic’s 46th career 40-point game on Wednesday was complemented by eight rebounds and six assists while connecting on 16-of-28 from the floor and seven-of-10 on three-pointers.
LeBron James posted 27 points and seven boards, and Rui Hachimura added 15 points as the Lakers (49-31) bolstered their grip on the third spot in the Western Conference.
Naji Marshall contributed 23 points and eight assists for Dallas, PJ Washington scored 14, and Anthony Davis – in his first game for Dallas against his old side – finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
The result leaves Dallas (38-42) still requiring one more win to secure the final play-in position in the West.
Doncic, traded from Dallas to Los Angeles for Davis as part of a blockbuster deal on February 2, became emotional during a pregame video tribute, before receiving a deafening applause when his name was called during the starting lineup announcements.
Doncic, who averaged a franchise-record 28.6 points in 422 games for Dallas, received rousing cheers with every possession or score, particularly early.
His 14 first-quarter points were offset by five Los Angeles turnovers, as the Marshall-led Mavericks moved ahead 30-26 at the first break.
Doncic dominated the second period, draining a trio of three-pointers and scoring 17 of his team’s 34 points, as Los Angeles took a 60-57 lead at halftime.
James, who had just eight first-half points as he played second fiddle to Doncic, came alive in the third and helped the Lakers’ cushion balloon to 78-65 before Marshall single-handedly weathered the storm for Dallas and trimmed the gap back to 83-76 with a quarter to play.
Max Christie’s tip-dunk edged the Mavs in front 84-83, but their time ahead was brief as James spearheaded a 9-0 Los Angeles response inside 90 seconds, and the Lakers were never remotely threatened again.
Doncic’s step-back three-pointer and strong drive blew the margin out to 110-94 before the five-time All-NBA First-Team selection was substituted out with 1:34 remaining to a standing ovation.
Both teams play their regular-season home finales on Friday night when the Mavericks take on Toronto, and the Lakers host Houston.