Doncic scored a stunning 31 points by halftime, with his Lakers team leading the Mavs by three with a 60-57 scoreline at the interval. He cooledd off in the second half but still ended the night with a tally of 45 as the Lakers won 112-97.
Doncic was traded to Los Angeles in February, joining forces with LeBron James in a move that sent shockwaves across the sporting world in the United States.
At the time, he as recovering from a calf issue and hadn’t played for his team for a number of weeks before his abrupt departure.
It meant that Wednesday night’s game was a chance for the Mavericks organization and fanbase to show their support to the NBA great that they parted ways with.
Before the start of the game on Wednesday, the Mavs played a tribute video to Doncic that chronicled his time with the team from NBA draft day to his last game.
Sat in Lakers uniform, the Slovenian appeared to tear up at the footage and at one stage buried his head in his towel.
The Mavericks fanbase gave him a huge cheer as he warmed up on the court before the game, as well as when his name was announced as part of the Lakers lineup.
It is the first time that Doncic has been back in the city of Dallas since being traded by the team he had played for since the age of 18.
Luka Dončić scores his first bucket in his return to Dallas!
Lakers/Mavericks underway on ESPN pic.twitter.com/loGB8AotVV
— NBA (@NBA) April 9, 2025
‘Brought tears to my eyes,’ Doncic told ESPN right after the game.
‘I came as a young kid here, was 18, and not knowing what to expect from NBA, and (the Mavericks) made me feel like home, and it´s just a lot of great, great memories.’
As for playing after that emotional video, he said: ‘I don’t know how I did it because when I was watching that video, I was like, “There´s no way I´m playing this game.”
‘But, you know, all my teammates had my back. They were really supporting me.’
The game also saw Anthony Davis take on his former team at his new home. The Lakers sent Davis the other way in the deal to get Doncic to California.
He could only manage 13 points against his old team on a night that ended in defeat.
The Lakers are battling to lock third place in the Western Conference with two games left in the regular season ahead of the playoffs.
Doncic and his mean face the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers before advancing into the postseason.