Lakers Stance On Luka Doncic’s Tense Mavs Reunion Confirmed As 31YO Star Puts Locker Room On High Alert

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“Luka, its good to have you f—— back!” JJ Redick was ecstatic to finally see the “Killer” side of Luka Doncic on Saturday after he struggled to perform well in his first three appearances for the Lakers. Showing why he is still one of the most lethal scorers out there, Doncic dropped a 32-point double-double in a win against the Nuggets and silenced the critics. Now, he is up for an even bigger test tomorrow night as he faces his former team, the Mavs, for the first time since the shocking trade. Fortunately, his teammate, Dorian Finney-Smith has complete faith in the Slovenian Sensation regardless of the high stakes.

Of course, DFS knows that tomorrow’s Mavs clash is not going to be an ordinary game, “We wanna get this win just like any other game, but we know it’s gonna be a lot of emotions in the air because of whatever thing that’s happened.” If it hasn’t happened already, the reality will truly sink in for Doncic when he goes head-to-head against his former teammates in a tense reunion.

However, Smith believes Luka is capable of keeping his emotions in check, “I think he’s gonna be excited. But everybody in the locker room is excited. We got his back.” And the 31-year-old has his focus clear as he warned the Lakers locker room about the competition, “We just trying to go out there and get the win… It’s gonna be a hard-fought game. I know J Kidd gonna have them ready to come in, compete. So, we just gotta match the intensity.” Obviously, both parties have a lot to prove tomorrow because whoever wins will get the last laugh on the trade.

 

Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, and JJ Redick share their thoughts on tomorrow’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/gRQkRCXle0

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 25, 2025

For Nico Harrison and the Mavs, winning tomorrow would provide validation that they made the right call by giving up on Luka. Meanwhile, Doncic will be motivated to get revenge for the betrayal he faced from the franchise where he wanted to be a lifer. So, its going to be must see television. And Smith is not the only Lakers member with his money on Luka.

JJ Redick and Rui Hachimura trust Luka Doncic to Overcome the “Weird” Mavs challenge

While Dorian put the locker room on high alert, JJ Redick claims Luka has become more used to being a Laker than many believe, “I think he’ll be fine. Every day that he’s been with us, it’s becoming just a little bit more normal.” We all saw how happy Doncic was after he finally overcame his struggles on Saturday and played like the superstar everyone expects him to be. He even acknowledged it postgame, “Just felt like me a little bit, so I was happy.”

Credit: IMAGN IMAGES

Moreover, JJ knows exactly what Luka will be going through when he faces the Mavs for the first time tomorrow, “I’ve been there. Like the first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it’s gonna be weird. But he’ll be able to handle it.” Even Hachimura is looking forward to suiting up for the highly-anticipated encounter, “I think he got his rhythm back you know little bit. So, I’m excited for him tomorrow against his ex-home team. It’s gonna be a good one and yeah, it’s gonna be fun.”

Fortunately for Luka, he will have the support of the entire Laker Nation as the game will be played in Crypto.com Arena. And the fans would be hoping that they get another glimpse of Luka Magic tomorrow night and he finally gets closure on the betrayal from the Mavs management. Do you think Luka will get his revenge or crumble under pressure?

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