Lakers’ Doncic makes triple-double in winning reunion with Dallas

LOS ANGELES: Luka Doncic faced his old team the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since his shock move to the Los Angeles Lakers and served up a triple-double in a 107-99 win on Tuesday.

The five-time All-Star moved to the Lakers in exchange for big man Anthony Davis this month in a deal which stunned the NBA and left Mavs fans distraught.

Davis, who is injured, was present at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles and was given a tribute from the Lakers during the first timeout.

The watching Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who has been a target of Dallas fans’ anger since the move, was also given a warm welcome by Lakers fans who chanted “Thank you Nico” during Doncic’s free throws.

Doncic put up 19 points on 6-17 shooting but grabbed 15 rebounds and made 12 assists on what he conceded was a strange night against his former teammates.

“I don’t know how to explain it, I think in the first quarter, second quarter, I didn’t know what was happening. It was just different, I can’t even explain how I felt,” he told broadcaster TNT.

Doncic admitted that despite his key role, his shooting was off in a game where the Lakers needed a big fourth quarter from LeBron James to secure the win.

“I couldn’t make nothing today, I am just glad we got a win. I can’t wait to go to sleep honestly,” said the Slovenian, who made a key assist to James to make sure of the win.

James had 27 points with 16 of them coming in the fourth quarter.

The short-handed Mavericks put up a strong fight however with Kyrie Irving outstanding as he made 35 points with seven rebounds and four assists. Klay Thompson put up 22 points for Dallas.

The front-running Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to eight games with a 122-82