NBA players from past and present react to Luka’s return to Dallas: ‘He was never gonna leave’

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic had quite a memorable return to American Airlines Center in Wednesday’s bout against the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic had to wipe away tears when the Mavericks played a video tribute for him prior to the contest, but he didn’t let all of his emotions negatively impact his play in the contest.

The Slovenian went off for a game-high 45 points and shot 16-of-28 from the field, 7-of-10 from 3-point range and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. Additionally, he chipped in eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Former and current NBA players reacted to Doncic’s return to Dallas on social media throughout the night.

It has been over two months now since Doncic changed teams and was dealt from the Mavericks to the storied Lakers franchise. Doncic spent the first six-plus seasons of his pro tenure with the Mavericks after the team traded for his draft rights in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Doncic and the Lakers beat the Mavericks by a final score of 112-97 on Wednesday to improve their record to 49-31 on the season. It was a nice way for L.A. to get back in the win column after a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder by double digits a day earlier.

With just two games left on Los Angeles’ regular-season schedule, the team is in a strong position to finish the campaign as a top-three seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers currently hold the No. 3 spot and can clinch it by winning one more game.

Furthermore, Los Angeles can win 50-plus games for the first time in years if the team can pick up just one more victory before the season’s end.

The last time the Lakers won 50 or more contests in a single regular season came in the 2019-20 campaign, and Los Angeles, of course, ended that season on a high note. The Lakers went 52-19 in the shortened regular season and then captured the 2020 NBA title by beating the Miami Heat in the championship series to cap a memorable playoff run.