Luka Doncic He starred in an unforgettable night on his return to Dallasthis time as a player of Los Angeles Lakers. The Slovenian scored 45 points, matching his record of the season, and led the Lakers in the 112-97 victory over the Mavericksensuring a place among the top six at the Western Conference.
Doncic’s return to American Airlines Center was loaded with emotions. Before the game, the Mavericks paid tribute to an emotional tribute video while the headlines were announced, which led the player to tears. “So many emotions. I can’t even explain it. He brought me tears in the eyes … Many incredible memories,” said Doncic, quoted by Ryan Ward from Lakers Nation.
Doncic enters the story with Kobe and LeBron
Despite the emotional impact, Doncic came on from the beginning and scored 31 points only in the first half. With this performance, he joined legends like Kobe Bryant (6 times) and Lebron James (1 time) as the only Lakers to score more than 30 points and achieve at least five triples in one half.
“When I was watching that video, I thought: ‘There is no way to play this game.’ But my colleagues backed me a lot and I thank you for that,” Doncic added.
The public in Dallas acknowledged the delivery of the Slovenian and fired him with songs of “Luka” when he left the game in the absence of 1:34 on the clock, according to Grant AFSETH of Ahlon Sports.
LeBron James also makes history and the MAVs enter the play-in
In addition to the Doncic show, LeBron James made history by overcoming Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the second player with the most games played in regular season (1,561). The 40 -year -old veteran scored 27 points with 55% effectiveness in field shots.
Despite the defeat, the Mavericks (38-48) secured a place in the play-in tournament thanks to the fall of the Phoenix Suns against Oklahoma City Thunder.
