Luka Dončić gets revenge against Mavs as Lakers earn emotional win

Luka Dončić earned his first triple-double as a Laker to help will his current team to a win over his former team in the Dallas Mavericks.

In an expectedly emotional game, Luka Dončić got revenge against the Mavs on Tuesday as the Lakers picked up a 107-99 win over Dallas.

After being tied at 91 apiece with five minutes remaining in the game, the Lakers went on a 14-5 to break it open late and seal the win.

Luka earned his first triple-double as a Laker, tallying with 19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and two blocks. LeBron James ended with 27 points, 16 of those in the fourth quarter, to go with his 12 rebounds. Austin Reaves led all scorers in the first half with 14 points and finished the game with 20 points and five assists.

Rui Hachimura pitched in with 15 points, including a number of key baskets in the final frame, to go alone with six rebounds and two blocks. The bench had a better showing offensively than last game with 16 points overall.

It was showtime for LA as they jumped ahead by seven early. Luka was cooking his old team, responding to a pair of Kyrie 3-pointers with one of his own. A second-straight 3-pointer led to a Dallas timeout and saw Luka stare down the Mavs bench.

Out of the break, Rui had a great block on former teammate Max Christie and gave him a fun staredown. The Lakers were shooting 50% from the field, while the Mavericks were shooting 33%.

Kyrie was up to 14 points after he scored again on a floater. Both teams bricked a few shots consecutively until the end of the quarter with LA up by eight.

The second quarter began with a jump shot by Klay Thompson. Austin drained a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to the last second. Dalton Knecht saw playing time and drained a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt.

Austin had a great assist to Dalton who dunked the ball. Rui was having fun against Max, spinning around him to lay the ball in. LA’s offense was heating up after having gone on a drought at the end of the first quarter. Dallas was also playing much better offensively.

Jarred Vanderbilt knocked down a corner 3-pointer as the Lakers maintained a comfortable lead. Luka then found Austin for a 3-pointer with one of the plays of the night.

Max drained two 3-pointers on his former team to cut the lead to eight at halftime for LA.

The second half began with Luka finding Rui in the corner for another 3-pointer. Klay then made his first 3-pointer of the game. The Lakers were having quite a lot of fun against Max, making him fumble the ball with Luka scoring on the other end.

Klay was suddenly heating up, draining another 3-pointer. Rui got his second block, this one on PJ Washington. After a strong first half, Luka’s offense took a dip, but he was finding his teammates who were scoring.

Dallas had slowly clawed back into the game, cutting the deficit to seven. Luka added two more points to the lead with a layup. Kyrie then answered with a 3-pointer. After a three by Spencer Dinwiddie, the Lakers were forced to take a timeout.

Midway into the third, LA was nursing a five-point lead. Each time Dallas made it a one-possession game, Los Angeles had the answer. Vando made another 3-pointer, his second of the night, and was having fun jawing back and forth with former teammate Anthony Davis.

The Lakers were starting to allow the Mavericks to gain a lot of steam, leaving players wide open from behind the arc. At the end of the third, it was a one-point lead for the purple and gold.

The final frame began LeBron shooting a fadeaway and then Jaxson Hayes blocking Max. There were then plenty of missed shots from both teams along with blocks and turnovers. A chaotic start for the Lakers and Mavericks.

Klay was the first person to score for either team. There was strong defense from both teams, which was causing a lot of missed shots. Austin found Jaxson on a lob for a thunderous dunk.

Austin had another great pass, this time to LeBron for a full-court layup. Klay knocked down two 3-pointers in response as he was starting to heat up at the right time. Jaxson was the recipient of another lob for a dunk in response.

Klay drained yet another 3-pointer and tied the game. Luka and LeBron’s two-man game ended with a 3-pointer by LeBron to keep the Lakers ahead.

Both teams exchanged 3-pointers, but the Mavericks had still not taken the lead. Luka went all the way to the basket for the easiest layup ever. Luka also found LeBron for a dunk to give the team a five-point lead.

Another 3-pointer by Kyrie made it a one-possession game again, but Dorian Finney-Smith answered with a dunk on the other end. After Kyrie lost the ball, Rui took it to the basket for a dunk. Luka missed a midrange shot before LeBron put it back in on a dunk.

The energy went up to a Game 7 level for LA and they were up nine with 1:04 left. Luka committed a bad foul on Kyrie who completed the three-point play.

PJ tied up Austin for a jump ball but LeBron grabbed it. Luka then found LeBron for an easy layup that put the game away.

Key Takeaways:

The third quarter Lakers need to figure out how to consistently have good energy throughout the quarter. Once their energy dips down, they start allowing the opposing team to gain momentum, causing a closer game than it should be.

I highly suggest having Luka Dončić and LeBron James on your favorite team, it’s quite a euphoric basketball experience.

The Lakers’ next game will be against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at 7:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.