Tuesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t a pleasant or satisfying one for Luka Doncic. After scoring 23 points and dishing off five assists in 31 minutes, he was ejected with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter after getting hit with his second technical foul for trash-talking.
It appeared Doncic’s trash talk was directed at a fan in the crowd, but Tony Brothers, one of the officials working the game, claimed Doncic’s words were directed at one of the other referees on the court.
The 26-year-old superstar will get to play out his frustrations almost right away in a unique situation. The Lakers will visit the Dallas Mavericks, his former team, on Wednesday, and it will be his first time back at American Airlines Center, his home arena for six and a half seasons.
While he said he’s looking forward to going back to his old stomping grounds, he also admitted that he doesn’t know what to expect.
Luka Doncic on returning to Dallas: “I don’t really know what to expect. I don’t know how I’m going to feel, honestly. I’m looking forward to being back in Dallas, obviously, with the fans, seeing my teammates — ex-teammates. It’s going to be very emotional for me, for sure.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 9, 2025
Wednesday’s game will also be Anthony Davis’ first game against L.A. after he was essentially swapped for Doncic in that massive Feb. 1 trade. Davis claimed he doesn’t have any emotions about this upcoming contest.
L.A. still holds third place in the Western Conference after its 136-120 loss to the Thunder on Tuesday. It needs just two more wins in its last three games to clinch the third seed, but it will face the second-place Houston Rockets on Friday, which means another defeat on Wednesday would put it at great risk of falling to fourth.
If the Lakers do finish fourth instead of third, their chances of reaching the NBA Finals would likely be much lower once the playoffs begin.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic on heading back to Dallas on Wednesday
Tuesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t a pleasant or satisfying one for Luka Doncic. After scoring 23 points and dishing off five assists in 31 minutes, he was ejected with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter after getting hit with his second technical foul for trash-talking.
It appeared Doncic’s trash talk was directed at a fan in the crowd, but Tony Brothers, one of the officials working the game, claimed Doncic’s words were directed at one of the other referees on the court.
The 26-year-old superstar will get to play out his frustrations almost right away in a unique situation. The Lakers will visit the Dallas Mavericks, his former team, on Wednesday, and it will be his first time back at American Airlines Center, his home arena for six and a half seasons.
While he said he’s looking forward to going back to his old stomping grounds, he also admitted that he doesn’t know what to expect.
Luka Doncic on returning to Dallas: “I don’t really know what to expect. I don’t know how I’m going to feel, honestly. I’m looking forward to being back in Dallas, obviously, with the fans, seeing my teammates — ex-teammates. It’s going to be very emotional for me, for sure.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 9, 2025
Wednesday’s game will also be Anthony Davis’ first game against L.A. after he was essentially swapped for Doncic in that massive Feb. 1 trade. Davis claimed he doesn’t have any emotions about this upcoming contest.
L.A. still holds third place in the Western Conference after its 136-120 loss to the Thunder on Tuesday. It needs just two more wins in its last three games to clinch the third seed, but it will face the second-place Houston Rockets on Friday, which means another defeat on Wednesday would put it at great risk of falling to fourth.
If the Lakers do finish fourth instead of third, their chances of reaching the NBA Finals would likely be much lower once the playoffs begin.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic on heading back to Dallas on Wednesday
