Doncic close to getting closure on Dallas exit after triumphant return

Luka Doncic is close to getting closure on his time with the Dallas Mavericks, having propelled the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA playoffs with 45 points against his old team.

Doncic returned to American Airlines Center for the first time since being traded away by the Mavs on Wednesday.

Ahead of the game, his former franchise honoured him with a tribute video depicting the best moments from his six-and-a-half seasons in Dallas.

The Slovenian was visibly emotional and revealed after the game that he doubted whether he could compose himself, saying: "After that video, I was, like, 'There's no way I'm playing this game'. There were so many emotions."

But once the game got under way, Doncic found the kind of form that led Dallas fans to protest the decision to trade him for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick in February.

As well as logging his joint-best points haul since joining Los Angeles (also 45 against the Milwaukee Bucks in March), Doncic had eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Los Angeles' 112-97 victory punched their ticket to the playoffs, while Dallas are now guaranteed to end the season with a losing record but will make the play-in tournament.

Asked how he felt upon arriving at the arena, where he received a rapturous ovation from the Dallas fans, Doncic said: "It was a little bit of both: happy and angry.

"But it's nice to see some familiar faces here. I really appreciate the fans, the way they reacted to me."

Luka had an INCREDIBLE performance in his return to Dallas: 45 PTS (most w/ Lakers) 8 REB 6 AST 7 3PM 4 STLThe @Lakers clinch a spot in the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google! pic.twitter.com/joBwFu6kz6
— NBA (@NBA) April 10, 2025

Asked if he was getting closer to putting his surprise Mavs exit behind him, he said: "It's a hard question. For sure, it's a little bit more.

"Talking about closure, sometimes it's hard because I spent a lot of time here, lots of great moments.

"But it's getting more and more normal. I've got to focus on different things now."

The Lakers also got 27 points from LeBron James, with 13 of those coming in the fourth quarter as they streaked clear.

When told how Doncic struggled after seeing the Mavs' tribute video, James said: "You can call that an out-of-body experience then, because he was locked in from start to finish."

The Lakers play their final home game of the regular season on Friday against the Houston Rockets, as they look to hold on to the third seed in the Western Conference.