All eyes this Tuesday night are definitely on the huge matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers in Hollywood. While it’s just a regular-season contest in late February, it gets extra attention because it’s going to be Luka Doncic’s first time facing off against the team he had played for six-plus seasons before being shockingly sent to LA earlier this month via a trade.
Ahead of the highly anticipated matchup at Doncic’s new home, the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Lakers head coach JJ Redick shares a bit of what he expects to see from the five-time NBA All-Star in the Mavericks game.
“I think with him he’s at his best when he has that balance of joy and playfulness and that killer mentality. Just perfectly living in the moment of competition,” Redick told reporters before the Mavericks game (h/t Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints).
It’s not hard to imagine Luka Doncic having a burning desire to punish the Mavericks on the court, especially when considering the negative stories about what led to Dallas’ decision to trade him. There were implied reasonings targeting his weight, competitive focus and defensive shortcomings.
In any case, Doncic is now a Laker, and his focus is all on helping Los Angeles get to the top. The Mavericks are now just a mere obstacle for the 25-year-old Slovenian superstar who isn’t even a year removed from leading the Mavericks to an appearance in the NBA Finals.
Doncic enters Tuesday’s date with the Mavs after having his best game yet in a Lakers uniform. In last Saturday’s 123-100 drubbing of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in Mile High City, Doncic poured in 32 points while making 10 of his 22 shots from the field. He also produced 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block in a complete two-way brilliance for the Lakers, who continue to gain ground in the Western Conference standings.
Taken third overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA draft, Doncic averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists through 426 games (all starts) during his time with the Mavericks while earning five All-NBA First Team selections along the way.
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