Luka Doncic says he's glad the first game facing the Dallas Mavericks is over
Luka Doncic led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night, his first game against his former team since the shocking trade less than a month ago.
He had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists and secured his first triple-double as a Laker. The Slovenian superstar was all smiles after the game, which he said – multiple times – was filled with a lot of emotions for him.
"I can't even explain… it was a different game," Doncic said. "I'm just glad it's over, honestly."
In the past, Doncic has said he thought he would spend his whole career in Dallas.
Tuesday night, Doncic said he was very emotional seeing his former teammates. He and Kyrie Irving even did their usual pregame handshake.
"Kyrie is my hermano, we go way beyond basketball," he said. "It was good to see those guys. It was really fun to see them all."
Mavs general manager Nico Harrison was also at the game, and was serenaded by Lakers fans chanting "Thank you, Nico!" – a complete 180 from what Mavericks fans have been chanting at games since the trade.
When Doncic was asked after the game if he spoke to Harrison, he simply said no, and continued to answer other questions.
The next matchup between the Mavericks and Lakers is at the American Airlines Center on April 9. When it comes to the transition to the Lakers, Doncic said facing his former team is helping.
"I mean, the closure's gonna take a while I think," he said. "It's not ideal. I'm glad this game is over. We go little by little and every day is better."
Former teammate Klay Thompson said facing Doncic was strange, but it was just another regular game.
"It's still a big moment, anytime you face someone who did as much as Luka did for us, there's gonna be emotions involved," Thompson said.
As for Lakers star Lebron James, he credited Doncic for his growth as a player.
"I thought he handled the game tremendously," James said.
