Los Angeles Lakers defeated Dallas Mavericks with 112–97, largely thanks to Luka Doncic's outstanding performance. With 45 points, he showed once again why the Dallas fans took it so hard when the 26-year-old basketball star was traded to Lakers in February in one of the most unexpected transfers in NBA history.
It was the first time since the transfer that Doncic returned to his former home arena American Airlines Center. He received a grand reception from the 20,000 Dallas fans in the stands – many wearing t-shirts with the text "Hvala za sve" (Slovenian for "thank you for everything") – and couldn't hold back tears when a tribute video was played on the big screen.
I don't understand how I managed to hold it together. When I looked at the video, I just felt "There's no way I can play this game", says Doncic to ESPN.
It was so many emotions that I can't even describe it. I started crying. I came here as a young guy, I was 18 years old, and these people made me feel at home. I love these fans. I love this city, but it's time to move on.
A visibly affected Luka Doncic was hugged by his new teammates, including superstar LeBron James, and managed to pull himself together. Then he went out and sank his old team.
