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Luka Doncic shooting over Anthony Davis.
Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas ended up being a memorable night for the star guard. He scored 45 points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 112-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
It was Anthony Davis‘ first game playing against his former team since getting traded. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the success that Doncic did having only scored 13 points.
Neither Davis nor Doncic requested a trade and neither were expecting one to happen during the season. Davis had a chance to speak to the guard after the game and revealed the two-word message he had.
“Both of us were caught off [guard], surprised by [the trade],” Davis told reporters. “But that was two months ago. It happened. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Just told him, ‘Good game.’ He played a hell of a game. Just a respect thing.”
Doncic is no stranger to having 40+ point games but considering the emotion that went into the return to Dallas, it was one of the most impressive performances of the season.
The Mavericks are likely going to be in the play-in tournament, so there’s a chance the two teams could match up in the playoffs, but it’s more likely that Davis will have to wait until next year to get his proper revenge game against the Lakers.
LeBron James Talks Playing Against Davis
Davis spent six years with the Lakers and was a big reason they won the championship in 2019-20. However, Doncic is simply a better player so it was no surprise that Los Angeles was so eager to trade the big man.
LeBron James and Davis had gotten very close over the years and he reportedly had nothing to do with the trade. He hadn’t been an opponent of Davis in a long time so he felt weird having to play against him.
“Different. Different. Obviously, we had our own emotions built into it, so I think it was just different,” James told reporters. “I think it was the first time we played against each other since ’19 I believe when he was in New Orleans, my first year here. … Just different, man. I ain’t got comfortable yet with him being on the other side, for sure.”
Davis and James were one of the best duos in the NBA for years so it’s understandable why it would be difficult for either of them to get used to not being on the same team anymore.
Davis’ Performance Isn’t Going to Help Trade Narrative
Though the trade only happened a couple of months ago, it’s widely agreed that the Lakers were the clear winners of the deal. When Davis first got traded, the hope was that he’d be a great fit next to Kyrie Irving.
Unfortunately, he got hurt and then Irving also got knocked out for the season. Mavericks fans have not been happy with the franchise since the deal and seeing Davis score just 13 points in a lackluster performance isn’t going to help things.
The only way Dallas can justify this trade is if they compete for a championship with Davis. That’s not going to happen this season and the future isn’t particularly bright.