Luka Dončić returns to Dallas: Lakers vs. Mavericks will feature tribute video, shirts and ‘a lot of emotion’

It’s been more than two months, but the fact that Luka Dončić is suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers is still jarring to see. The Dallas Mavericks blindsided Dončić, their fanbase and the entire NBA on Feb. 1 by sending him to the Lakers in exchange for a deal centered around Anthony Davis. Dončić and the Lakers have done plenty of winning since adding the Slovenian guard to the starting backcourt, and they currently sit third in the West. Wednesday’s night game is meaningful for the Lakers as they try to secure their spot in the West’s playoff picture. But it’s more notable for another reason: Luka is making his return to Dallas.

The Mavericks are hosting Dončić and the Lakers for the first time since the stunning trade, giving Dallas fans their first chance to see their franchise’s former star player back at American Airlines Center. Dončić squared off with his former team in February in L.A., posting a 19-point triple-double in a Lakers win. 

Things are looking up in Lakerland, and Dončić looks to be incredibly comfortable with his new team. The Mavericks, on the other hand, are headed for the Play-In Tournament just 10 months after being in the NBA Finals. But beyond that, they’ve dealt with a litany of injuries which started with Davis going down in his Mavericks debut in February. Then came the season-ending ACL injury to Kyrie Irving in March, which will hold him out for most of next season as well. Dallas has treaded water, though you could certainly argue that they should be bottoming out and focusing on the upcoming draft.

Both teams are headed in opposite directions, and now the Mavericks will have to face Dončić in Dallas, where most of the crowd will undoubtedly be rooting for the Slovenian star. Emotions will be high, fans will shower Doncic with love, and certainly there will be chants and boos geared toward Mavericks ownership and GM Nico Harrison if they’re in attendance. Ahead of Doncic’s highly-anticipated return, here’s how to watch the game, plus three things to know about the game.

Where to watch Lakers vs. Mavericks

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | Date: Wednesday, April 9
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Odds: LAL -170 | DAL +143 | O/U: 229 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Mavericks planning tribute video, shirts for fans

This is no surprise, a tribute video is the bare minimum for a player who has been as impactful and successful for your franchise as Dončić was for the Mavs. It will give Mavericks fans in attendance a chance to truly shower Doncic with adoration before the game starts, and there will surely be no shortage of “Luka” chants — and maybe some “Fire Nico” chants peppered in there as well. 

What will be interesting to watch is to see how Doncic reacts to all this love from the Mavericks fanbase. He’s been open about how difficult this transition has been for him. He’ll surely show the fans love, but there’s no telling how emotional he’ll be as he gets a standing ovation from Mavericks fans who are still upset he’s not suiting up for them anymore.

In addition to the video, the Mavericks are supplying T-shirts to fans at the arena that read “Thank you for everything” in Slovenian.

It’s a nice souvenir for Mavericks fans for what will be an incredibly emotional evening. But not everything the Mavericks tried to plan for this night got approved. The team tried to partner with sponsors that Dončić endorses, but his team said no, per ESPN.

What Luka has said about return

Obviously it won’t be a normal game for Dončić, the Lakers or the Mavericks. He’ll step foot inside the visiting locker room for the first time in his career. After Tuesday night’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which Dončić was ejected, he shared a little bit about what he expects for his return to Dallas.

“There’s going to be a lot of emotion for me,” Dončić said. “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.”

Dončić’s teammate, LeBron James, also spoke on the game against Dallas, and how important it will be to support his new point guard.

“I think it’s very important,” James said. “I mean, it’s camaraderie. It’s holding each other down whenever we face anything. And I think [Wednesday’s] going to be a lot of emotions going through Luka, both the interior and then exterior. And it’s our job just to do our job. If we do our job on the floor, then we’ll help him tremendously.”

Playoff seeding ramifications

Emotions aside, this game has meaning outside of Dončić’s return to Dallas as well. The Lakers sit third in the West, and have yet to clinch a playoff spot. A loss Tuesday night will put more pressure on the Lakers to beat the No. 2-seeded Rockets Saturday night. L.A. holds all the tiebreakers against the teams below them in the standings, but if the Lakers lose Wednesday and Saturday, and any one of the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors or Grizzlies win out the rest of the season, L.A. could take a stumble down the standings.

For the Mavericks, while less things are on the line given they sit 10th in the West, there is still a chance they can climb to ninth and host a play-in game against the Sacramento Kings. Dallas sits a game behind the Kings, and a win against the Lakers will help close that gap to try and jump a spot in the standings. There’s also the Phoenix Suns looming at 11th, though they’re closer to being eliminated than stealing the Mavericks spot in the play-in. Still, a win would go a long way in Dallas securing one of the final play-in spots in the West.