Luka Dončić vs. Mavericks: What to expect from the Lakers star in his first game against Dallas

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Three weeks ago, Luka Dončić was formally introduced as a Los Angeles Laker after the Dallas Mavericks dealt him in the most shocking trade in NBA history. On Tuesday, the 25-year-old superstar (who turns 26 this week) will face his former team for the first time. Buckle up! Our writers break down the Lakers and Mavs in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade, plus make predictions on what to expect from Dončić during Tuesday’s revenge game.

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate Luka’s first three weeks as a Laker.

Vincent Goodwill: 8. The rhetoric surrounding Luka’s trade or at least Dallas’ reasoning didn’t come off as flattering to him, as valid as it may be. And it wasn’t until Saturday night where he had a Luka game, against Denver. But going to L.A., being introduced to the crowd last and clearly catching all of the positive vibes from JJ Redick can make up for all of that. His pairing with LeBron James has shown promise thus far, the QB-to-WR moments. But then he was being hunted by the Charlotte Hornets. So … an 8.

Dan Devine: Let’s call it a 7.5 — which, as luck would have it, is the Lakers’ winning percentage since the deal, with six victories in eight tries. Granted, three of those wins came with Dončić working his way back from a calf strain, and one of them came with him resting on the second night of a back-to-back; “3-2 with losses to the Jazz and Hornets” isn’t exactly the stuff that dreams are made of. What Luka did to a Nuggets team that has owned L.A. for the past four years, though, is the stuff that emboldens you to dream a little bigger, darling:

Players who can do that don’t grow on trees. Even with Dončić needing some time to shake off the rust and find his footing (and the range on his jumper) after missing 22 games, the Lakers have outscored opponents by 12.1 points per 100 possessions since his arrival, offering both tantalizing glimpses of what the LeBron-Luka partnership could eventually blossom into and fresh hope that it’s already got a shot to do some real damage in the here and now. Keep that up, and we’ll be bumping this “C” up toward the top of the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/luka-doncic-vs-mavericks-what-to-expect-from-the-lakers-star-in-his-first-game-against-dallas-161036920.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-25 16:10:00

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