Luka Doncic and his quick revenge after the Mavericks' snub: first triple double for the Lakers and victory in his "special game" against Dallas

Don't make the beast angry. Luka Doncic , the Slovenian phenomenon who was snubbed by the Dallas Mavericks who surprisingly included him in a "trade plan" with the Los Angeles Lakers at the beginning of February, unleashed all his rage in his first game against his former team: 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, his first triple-double as LeBron James' teammate, to propel the home team to a 107-99 victory.

As soon as the match started, the Slovenian was quick to show his extra motivation with several brilliant attacks, a steal and a strong protest to a referee who called a technical foul on him.

In the first quarter he had already accumulated 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, sending several messages to the rival bench after his baskets. The Slovenian also lived up to his nickname 'Luka Magic' with a spectacular no-look assist for a three-pointer by Reaves.

Despite facing several significant disadvantages, the Mavericks continued to fight back under the leadership of Kyrie Irving, who finished with 35 points and embraced Doncic on the court.

"Kai is my brother. That goes way beyond basketball. It was good to see all these guys," Doncic said.

"After the game, Irving had a few words for Luka , whom he always looked after like a little brother: 'He's an innocent kid, but at the same time super talented. He still has a world ahead of him. You also want to protect these kinds of people, because I feel like sometimes people get on him in a crazy way, which is unnecessary... my goal was always just to protect him, man. It's about something deeper than basketball.'"

Kyrie Irving comments on his relationship with Luka Doncic: “(Doncic) is an innocent kid, same time, just ultra-talented. Whole word is in front of him. You want to protect people like that, too, because I feel like sometimes people come at him crazy, which is unnecessary… So my… pic.twitter.com/MJppG85dqS

— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) February 26, 2025

Although he was not efficient on offense, with 6 field goals made out of 17 attempts, Doncic made an unusual defensive effort, achieving 3 steals and making 2 blocks.

"I don't know how to explain it," he said after the game of the matchup against his former teammates. "I think in the first and second quarter I didn't know what was going on. It was just different. I can't even explain how I felt ."

"I couldn't score anything today," he said of his missed shots. "I'm just happy that we got a win. I can't wait to go to sleep."

Doncic and Austin Reaves, who scored 20 points, carried the offensive weight of the Lakers until LeBron appeared in the final stretch to certify the victory: "We are here to support him, on and off the court," said The King.

The forward, in excellent form at 40 years old, scored 16 of his 27 points in a frenetic fourth quarter, guaranteeing the ninth victory for the LA team in the last 11 games .

Even with LeBron's recital, the night was dominated by Doncic's reunion with the Mavericks, the franchise he led until the last Finals and where he dreamed of developing his entire career.

The Crypto.com Arena crowd cheered hard for their new idol but also applauded Anthony Davis, the other important part of the transfer, who headed to Dallas after six years in Los Angeles.

The center, who watched the game from the bench due to an abdominal injury, was honored with a tribute video of his best moments with the Los Angeles franchise, especially the ring he won in 2020 alongside LeBron.

The mastermind behind the controversial move, general manager Nico Harrison, was also on hand and received a few chants of thanks from Lakers fans for giving them Doncic, one of the league's most promising players at 25 years old.

The final push led by LeBron sealed the victory for the Lakers, who occupy fourth place in the Western Conference and are shaping up to be a dangerous rival in the playoffs.

In other results on Tuesday, the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics extended their winning streaks at the expense of the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors.

The Cavaliers, who have the best record in the league with 48 wins and 10 losses, crushed the Magic 122-82 to win their eighth straight game.

For their part, the Celtics beat the Raptors on the road by 111-101 for their sixth consecutive victory.

In Memphis, the Grizzlies emerged victorious from an offensive battle against the Phoenix Suns by 151-148 in overtime.

Ja Morant scored Memphis' final 11 points to force overtime, finishing with a total of 29 points and eight assists.

Toronto Raptors - Boston Celtics 101-111

Orlando Magic - Cleveland Cavaliers 82-122

Houston Rockets - Milwaukee Bucks 100-97

Memphis Grizzlies - Phoenix Suns 151-148 overtime

New Orleans Pelicans - San Antonio Spurs 109-103

Golden State Warriors - Charlotte Hornets 128-92

LA Lakers - Dallas Mavericks 107-99

With information from agencies