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01/25 01:25 CST Luka Doncic's emotions ease in 2nd Dallas visit as Lakers star
beats his former team again
Luka Doncic's emotions ease in 2nd Dallas visit as Lakers star beats his former
team again
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
DALLAS (AP) --- Luka Doncic 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.
Hey, at least he wasn't 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 on
Saturday night 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 wasn't nearly as
emotional as his return last April.
"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's moving on after he wept on the LA bench
during a video tribute when he was introduced before the game in Dallas last
April. Maybe Mavericks fans are getting there as well.
The game lacked "Nico Fired" chants --- the ones fans used briefly after
general manager Nico Harrison was let go by Dallas in November following a slow
start. The move also came amid lingering resentment for a trade that is now
easily viewed as a setback for a franchise that reached the NBA Finals just
nine months before a 25-year-old star in his prime was shipped away in the
middle of the night.
The centerpiece for Dallas in the deal was Anthony Davis, the oft-injured big
man who has missed more games than he's played since joining the Mavericks and
won't return from his latest absence --- a hand injury --- until next month.
When Doncic visited the first time, the Dallas crowd on that night and many
others was prone to launching into "Fire Nico" chants, which were still
happening early this season.
For the Slovenian star's second visit, the most noticeable chants were a couple
of "M-V-P" renditions when he was shooting free throws (he made 14 of 15).
"The significance of this probably will be there for the rest of his career,"
Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. "This is where it started for him.
It's where he made his first Finals appearance. It's where he was drafted. The
significance for our team is there, and it's certainly there for him."
LeBron James and Rui Hachimura were the biggest catalysts for the rally from 15
points down in the final 7 minutes.
James scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter after at one point
having a minus-28 rating with a point total in the single digits. Hachimura had
a four-point play and another 3-pointer on consecutive possessions, the latter
putting LA up for good.
Doncic did his share as well. His driving layup gave the Lakers a 116-108 lead
with 50 seconds to go, and he turned to his old bench as if to say that was
about it. Or maybe not.
"I heard the bench said something about a travel," said Doncic, who still found
time for playful moments during and after the game with his former teammates.
"There was no travel. Two steps. I just looked over there."
All the free throws made it a quiet scoring night for Doncic, but the shouts of
his name from kids near the court were loud enough. He was a pedestrian 3 of 8
from 3-point range, but the 26-year-old did become the youngest to reach 1,500
long-range buckets. He's at 1,501.
"I think the biggest thing this year, he's just more comfortable," James said.
"Understanding the system, understanding the city, the city embracing him.
Understanding it's his team, and we're all rallying around him. Obviously we
know it's emotional, a big game, to come back and play your former team. He
showed who he is tonight."
Maybe the next visit --- not long before the end of the regular season in
April, when the Lakers likely are on their way to the playoffs and Dallas is
likely headed home for the summer --- will 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."
___
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