Luka Doncic helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a thrilling 107-99 win over his former team on Tuesday night in a matchup that was, in every essence of the definition, a revenge game.
In his first contest against the Dallas Mavericks since his blockbuster trade, Doncic put up a triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists) and wasted no time igniting a fresh rivalry with his ex-teammates, often staring down the Mavs bench after big plays.
Off the court, however, the typically fiery and fierce Doncic got more contemplative about how he felt after playing against Dallas.
Doncic was asked in a postgame presser if he was looking for closure in the win against the Mavericks to help him move on from the shattering Feb. 2 trade.
“The closure is going to take a while, I think,” Doncic said. “It's not ideal, but you know like I said, I'm glad this game is over. There's a lot of emotions, but we go little by little, and every day is better.”
Luka Dončić was asked if facing the Dallas Mavericks gave him closure about the trade.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 26, 2025
"The closure is going to take a while, I think... It's not ideal, but like I said, I'm glad this game is over. There's a lot of emotions, but we go little by little, and every day is better." pic.twitter.com/cl4Wfvifc2
The Doncic trade to the Lakers in many ways felt like a nasty break-up between Dallas and their once-heralded franchise star. In the days following the move, the Mavericks’ brass criticized the All-Star guard for his weight and conditioning issues, among other factors that allegedly led to Doncic being dealt.
Those criticisms have since served as fuel for Doncic in the next chapter of his NBA career on the Lakers, and the 25-year-old took one big step in his pursuit for closure with the Mavericks by putting on a show and beating them on Tuesday night. The rest will come in due time.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Had Painfully Sad Answer When Asked About Finding Closure With Mavericks.
