When the injury report dropped for last night's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the long list of names had many thinking that JJ Redick could possibly rest a lot of his key players before a big-time matchup on Wednesday. That was not the case. Regardless, the Los Angeles Lakers will travel to Texas for Luka Doncic's first game on the road against his old team, the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers and Mavericks already locked horns on Feb. 25, with Los Angeles pulling out a competitive 107-99 win. That game was in the comforts of Doncic's new environment that has quickly embraced him. The return to Dallas should be a lot different.
Granted, this is not one of those scenarios like when LeBron James returned to play in Cleveland for the first time. There is no indication that Dallas fans have a lot of ill will to throw at the Slovenian superstar. Nico Harrison has been the focus of the Mavericks vitriol since the Doncic trade. However, this contest will still be an important stepping stone for Luka's time in Los Angeles.
Doncic opens up about first game back in Dallas
There is a feeling of discardment when looking at the Mavericks' decision to move on from Doncic. The generational superstar led Dallas to their first NBA Finals appearance since the Dirk Nowitzki era and was thrown to the curb the next season. This is not a familiar scene for most NBA fans.
"There's gonna be a lot of emotion for me," Doncic told the media after last night's game against the Thunder. "I don't really know what to expect. I don't know how I'm gonna feel, honestly. I'm looking forward to being back in Dallas, obviously, with the fans, seeing my teammates, ex-teammates. It's gonna be very emotional for me, for sure."
Doncic's comments reveal that there are no hard feelings for the fans or his old teammates. Why would there be? If there is a statement game to be made, it would be towards management and ownership, not the previously-mentioned parties.
Whether this will offer Doncic any form of closure is a different story. The five-time All-NBA selection is still working through the impact this contest will have.
"Honestly, I don't know about closure," Doncic told Jovan Buha. "It's obviously a lot, but like I said, I'm excited to be back here. I know the fans are gonna appreciate me being back here. So, I mean, honestly, I don't know. I don't know how I'm gonna feel, but I'm excited to go back."
Tonight's game will be an excellent opportunity for the Lakers to prove just how much they have Luka's back. This will be the toughest game of the regular season for Doncic. Los Angeles can show just how well-supported the international superstar is with his new team, in whatever capacity that looks like tonight.
