Luka Doncic confessed he could not remember the torrent of emotions he had felt during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 107-99 win over former team the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA – and called teammate LeBron James’ performance “insane”.
Guard Doncic joined the Lakers as part of a three-way trade involving Anthony Davis moving in the opposite direction on February 2, ending his six-season spell with the Mavericks.
“There were a lot of emotions,” Doncic said after a display that included a triple-double at the Crypto.com Arena, adding that his relationship with Dallas’ Kyrie Irving “goes way beyond basketball”.
“I can’t even explain. I’m just glad it’s over, honestly. I went through a lot with the [Dallas] guys. It was good to see those guys… it was really fun to see them all.”
🌟 LEBRON/LUKA LEAD LAL 🌟
Bron: 27 PTS (16 in 4Q), 12 REB, 11-17 FGM
Luka: 19 PTS, 15 REB, 12 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLKThe @Lakers are 4th in the West as they improve to 8-2 in their last 10 games! pic.twitter.com/WuZuHGzGJX
— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Luka Doncic stats
The 25-year-old scored 19 points and made 15 rebounds and 12 assists against opponents with whom he made his name, including winning the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2019, five NBA All-Star appearances and an NBA finals berth in 2024.
“Sometimes I don’t even know what I was doing,” reflected the Slovenian, praising James after the Lakers talisman contributed 27 points.
“I learn a lot of things about LeBron just by watching him every day. He’s an amazing guy to watch and play with. At 40 years old, [his longevity is] insane.”
“One of my best friends… It was great to see him get that recognition.”
– LeBron touches on AD’s moment in LA tonight 🤞 pic.twitter.com/SGWoOGnpwN
— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2025
Lebron: Doncic ‘has grown’
James said Doncic handled the occasion “tremendously”. “There’s a lot of emotion that goes in when you give so much, sacrifice and have that type of love and respect for a franchise,” added the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player.
“He went to the finals and all of that stuff. He’s grown from being a kid to a 25-year-old man. When you move on, it’s very emotional and taxing.
“There were probably a lot of things going on in his head that didn’t involve the game itself. As his teammates, we wanted to back in him any way, shape or form.
“I’m happy that we were able to get a couple of plays down the stretch to get him this win.”
“It was fun. It was fun competing. Lot of high-level basketball players out there.”
– Kyrie on playing against Luka tonight 🤝 pic.twitter.com/LBcVPrfLHW
— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2025
Lakers vs Mavericks
Doncic was critical of his own game, while Lakers coach JJ Redick was impressed by both players as the fourth-placed team in the Western Conference secured a third straight win.
“It was not a great shooting night but [Doncic] made a lot of plays and had some good defensive plays,” said Redick. “He was clearly worked up to start the game – that’s to be expected.
LUKA x KYRIE 🙏 https://t.co/cJVj0boO5t pic.twitter.com/4cuZ2sd7tt
— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2025
“LeBron’s playing at an all-NBA defense level. If teams try to target him, he blows plays up. He’s always in the right position – shifting, recovering.
“There’s this perception of him, at this age, conserving energy. There’s no conservation of energy on the floor. He’s played elite defense for a while.”
The Lakers are next in action at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday (9.30pm ET).
