Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is treating Luka Dončić’s homecoming on Wednesday just like any other game on the calendar.
“Just another home game,” Kidd told reporters following their 135-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
While Kidd was dismissive from the game perspective, he acknowledged their fans’ sentiments on the controversial trade.
“It should be electric,” Kidd said of the atmosphere. “I think the fans will be excited to see Luka. We’ll be excited to figure out how to protect [our] home.”
The Mavericks are 12-18 overall and 7-7 at home since the trade. But their woeful record was also inflated by the spate of injuries to their key players led by Davis, Kyrie Irving and their center Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.
Davis has since returned while Irving is already out for the season with an ACL injury and could miss the early part of next season as well.
The Mavericks are 5-2 with Davis in the lineup and 1-0 with both Davis and Irving.
Davis is averaging 20.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 blocks for the Mavericks primarily playing as a power forward, his preferred position.
In contrast, the Lakers are 15-9 with Dončić, who is averaging 27.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.6 steals since the trade.
Emotions will run high but Davis was adamant he’s already moved on.
“No emotions,” Davis told reporters about the highly-anticipated matchup after recording 27 points, nine rebounds and six turnovers in a losing effort to the Clippers.
Jason Kidd Has Not Spoken to Luka Since Trade
Dončić beat the Mavericks when they visited the Lakers on Feb. 25, their first meeting since the trade.
The Slovenian star dropped his first triple-double as a Laker with 19 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds as the Lakers blew out his injury-hit former team 107-99.
Kidd has yet to talk to Dončić since the trade.
“No I have not,” Kidd said, per Lakers Nation.
But if he gets the chance to speak to his former star player, Kidd has a simple message.
“That he keeps smiling,” Kidd said. “When he’s smiling, he’s in a great place and he’s having fun. It’s good to see that he’s smiling here of late and again, just understanding that the business of basketball could be shocking and it was shocking to the world, but you have to move forward, you have to push forward. He has a job to do and that’s to play basketball at a high level and I think he can do that.”
“When you look at what Luka is probably going through, there’s a lot of attention on this one game, but the train keeps moving,” Kidd added. “This game is going to come and go and understand that he’s gonna be one of the best players in the world and the Lakers are fortunate to have him.”
‘I’m Glad it’s Over’
Dončić felt relieved after facing the Mavericks for the first time.
“It was just a lot of emotions and not much sleep,” he told reporters that time. “I can’t even explain [it]. It was a different game. … Sometimes I didn’t know what I was doing.
“And I’m just glad it’s over, honestly.”
But those emotions are expected to come back when Dončić returns to Dallas — a place he called home for seven years — for the first time since the shocking trade.
But unlike Kidd and the Mavericks who have full three days to prepare for his emotionally-charged homecoming, Dončić will barely have a 24-hour turnaround time from their Tuesday game against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
