By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Dallas fans are still in a state of shock over the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers earlier this month and their loyalty to the five-time All Star was on full display on Tuesday as he helped his new team beat the Mavericks 107-99 in Los Angeles.
Mavs fans have been in open revolt since the Slovenian’s seismic trade and while they needed no reminder of his talent Doncic showed them exactly what they will be missing, posting a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists.
“I’m a Luka fan,” said Andy Ou, who was wearing Doncic’s old Dallas jersey before the game in downtown LA, the first between the teams since the trade.
“I’m rooting for him, I just don’t have his Lakers jersey yet. I’ll buy one tonight.”
Doncic, 25, led the Mavs to the NBA finals last season so fans were stunned when the Dallas front office sent him to the Lakers in a deal for LA big man Anthony Davis that came out of the blue.
Davis, who won a title with the Lakers in 2020, did not play on Tuesday as he is sidelined with an injury but received a warm ovation from the home crowd when he was acknowledged in the arena.
Lifelong Mavericks fan Will Buehring, who was also wearing Doncic’s #77 Mavs jersey and who traveled from Dallas for the game, said he had yet to get over the shock of the trade.
“It’s probably the biggest, worst mishap in the history of the league,” he said.
“I really love the Mavericks, I love Luka and LA is an amazing place, so I figured why not make a trip out of it and come watch him play his old team.
“But I still can’t believe it. It’s surreal. What a trade. That was a bad day.”
The contest at Crypto.com arena had the intensity of a playoff game and the sold-out crowd erupted when Doncic bullied his way to the rim early in the opening quarter for his first points of the game.
Doncic and new teammate LeBron James showcased their chemistry throughout and an assist from Doncic to the league’s all-time leading scorer late in the fourth quarter sealed the win.
Doncic was immediately embraced by his former Dallas teammates after the game and said he looked forward to some rest after the intense and highly-anticipated matchup.
“I can’t wait to get to sleep,” Doncic said. “I’m exhausted.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles;Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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