Chants of “Thank you, Nico” filled Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena as Luka Doncic stepped to the free throw line.
The jeers, while condescending in nature, came from a crowd of Lakers fans who are genuinely grateful to have Doncic in Los Angeles.
Monday night’s game was the first between the Lakers and Mavericks since they shocked the sports world with this month’s blockbuster trade sending the 25-year-old Doncic to Los Angeles and the 31-year-old Anthony Davis to Dallas.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, now the source of major contention in Dallas, attended Monday’s game in L.A., where Doncic reminded the Mavericks of exactly what they’re missing.
Doncic scored 19 points with 15 rebounds and 12 assists in the Lakers’ 107-99 win. It was Doncic’s first triple-double with the Lakers after recording 80 during his six-plus seasons with Dallas.
“The closure is going to take a while, I think,” Doncic said afterward. “It’s not ideal, but I’m glad this game is over. There’s a lot of emotions, but we go little by little, and every day is better.”
While Doncic shot just 6-of-17, he provided multiple highlights. None were prettier than the no-look pass he threw over his shoulder to Austin Reeves for a first-quarter 3-pointer.
Doncic later drilled a 3-pointer of his own, then stared at the Dallas bench. He said he did not see Harrison during pregame warmups.
In the fourth quarter, Doncic delivered three assists to LeBron James, who finished with a team-high 27 points.
“It was awkward,” Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving said of facing Doncic, “but at the same time, it was fun.”
Monday’s game took place less than four weeks after the NBA-altering trade, which also sent Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas and Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles. The Utah Jazz were included in the three-team deal for financial reasons.
At his introductory press conference on Feb. 4, Doncic described the trade as a “big shock” and reiterated that he had expected to spend his entire career with the Mavericks.
In his own initial comments, Harrison pointed to Davis’ defensive prowess as a motivator for the trade but also said the Mavericks “got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”
Had he had not been traded, Doncic would have been eligible this offseason for a supermax contract worth $345 million over five years. Harrison and Doncic both said the latter never indicated he wouldn’t sign a supermax extension.
The Mavericks’ front office had reportedly grown tired of Doncic’s inconsistent conditioning and weight fluctuations. The trade occurred while Doncic was out with his fourth injury to his left calf since 2022.
But Dallas’ decision to part with Doncic was almost universally panned, considering the generational play-maker had earned first-team All-NBA honors in each of the last five seasons and led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals only eight months earlier.
Before the Mavericks’ first home game after the trade, Mavericks fans congregated outside the American Airlines Center and expressed their displeasure with chants, signs and even a portable billboard calling to “Fire Nico.”
Multiple fans have since been ejected from Mavericks home games for similar protests inside the arena.
It hasn’t helped that Davis, a 10-time All-Star with a lengthy injury history, left his Mavericks debut with a left adductor strain and has not played since.
Doncic is averaging 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists through five games with the Lakers.
He admitted it felt “so weird” facing the Mavericks, whom he is set to play again in his return to Dallas on April 9.
“There were moments I felt like I don’t know what I was doing,” Doncic said. “I’m glad we got a win.”