The image of an emotional Luka Doncic fighting tears from falling down his face while watching his tribute video is a lasting memory from his first game at American Airlines Center as an opponent.
What soon followed was a reminder of the former Maverick’s offensive talent. Doncic dropped 45 points against his former team and was cheered by MFFLs as if he still had “Dallas” written across the front of his jersey.
Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers will visit AAC for the second time since last season’s midseason trade to play against the surging Mavericks on Saturday night, despite a looming winter storm descending upon North Texas.
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The Mavericks revealed Friday afternoon that the game will be played as scheduled, which sets the stage for another showdown with Doncic, who is 3-0 against his old team in the regular season since he was acquired by the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
It shouldn’t be nearly as emotional a game as it was on April 9, 2025, but Doncic admitted he’ll always have a special connection to his first NBA city.
“Obviously, it’s always going to feel like home there,” Doncic told reporters Thursday after the Lakers lost to the LA Clippers. “But like I said, I needed that game to move on a little bit. But obviously, I’ll always appreciate those fans.”
Thousands of fans are expected to weather the storm to see Doncic return to the arena where he spent the first 6½ years of his career. Earlier this week, Doncic earned his sixth All-Star appearance, and he leads the NBA in scoring with 33.4 points per game.
“It’s really hard to stop Luka,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s doing everything to help his team win. You just try to make it tough. Try to make him work on the defensive end and then hopefully, he doesn’t make a big shot, but he loves the stage. He always delivers when they need a shot.”
Based on his last scoring explosion at AAC, it’s natural to expect Doncic will be motivated to produce a similar performance Saturday. Perhaps no opponent is more familiar with what Doncic is capable of than his former teammates. Mavericks forward Naji Marshall said he’s excited about the matchup against his old pal.
“Y’all seen Luka throughout the years. Y’all know he gets up for moments like this,” Marshall said. “You know what time he’s on. So it’s on us to do the best we can to come out with a victory.”
Marshall is coming off one of his best games of the season. He led the Mavericks to their fourth straight win with a season-high 30 points, seven rebounds and nine assists against the Golden State Warriors.
The Mavericks (19-26) will try to make it five against the Lakers (26-17), who had impressive wins this week over the New York Knicks and Warriors. Daniel Gafford practiced Friday and Kidd said he’ll be “ready to go” Saturday, marking his return from a four-game absence following another reaggravation of his lingering right ankle sprain.
Dallas has relied on Marshall, Max Christie and Cooper Flagg to shoulder the load on offense, which has improved over the last 10 games.
Christie has quickly turned into one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA. He’s averaging 23 points and shooting a scorching 57% from beyond the arc over the last three games. The fourth-year guard has become a pleasant surprise for the Mavericks after last season’s blockbuster trade built around acquiring Davis, who is sidelined for multiple weeks with a left hand sprain.
Christie has played against his former team four times, including a preseason matchup in Las Vegas this season, and said it doesn’t inspire an emotional response.
“Nah, that ship has sailed,” Christie said. “No extra emotions. It’s going to be fun to see my old coaching staff and old teammates, but it’s just another game.”
It felt like just another game in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, when Doncic had a double-double of 35 points with 11 assists to lead the Lakers to a 129-119 win.
But the game will always mean more in Dallas, given the circumstances of Doncic’s departure.
Even the NBA billed games played from Tuesday through Saturday as Rivals Week, with the intention of featuring classic and budding rivalries among teams and players.
Kidd was asked this week what he considers a rivalry.
“A fight,” he joked. “But no, the history. Some other things that have taken place here in the past probably will help with that. Looking at the Warriors as a rival, maybe because of the [Klay Thompson] trade. They’ve won quite a few championships and we’re trying to get there.
“Then with the Lakers, another trade probably is looked upon as making it a rivalry. We’re pulling very hard to make it a rival, but teams are in different places. For us, we’re just focused on ourselves. We’ll let the NBA deal with the rivals stuff.”
Marshall played with Doncic for only half of a season, 17 games to be specific, because the former Mavericks superstar suffered a left calf strain on Christmas Day of last season — his final game as a Maverick. Still it was enough time for the two to build a friendship that endures as competitors.
“I love playing against Luka. That’s my guy,” Marshall said. “Miss him dearly. He’s doing his thing. I know it’s gonna be loud and packed. Everybody’s gonna want to see Luka, and just to be able to share the floor with Luka is a true blessing. That’s my brother and I know he’s on the opposite team and we want to win, but I just want to see the best happen for him throughout the rest of his career.”
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