EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Just over three weeks after , Luka Doncic and his will host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Doncic's new teammates and coaches all believe he'll be ready and eager for this quick showdown with the team that abruptly shipped him out of the city where he earned five All-NBA selections, where he led last season's squad to the NBA Finals after winning the scoring title 鈥� and where he expected to spend the rest of his career.
鈥淚 think he鈥檒l be fine,鈥� Lakers coach JJ Redick said. 鈥淓very day that he鈥檚 been with us, it鈥檚 becoming just a little bit more normal. I鈥檝e been there. The first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it鈥檚 going to be weird. But he鈥檒l be able to handle it."
Major life events have been coming at Doncic awfully quickly in February, so the speed at which this monumental matchup arrived on the Lakers' schedule is just another challenge for the Slovenian superstar. Aside from the upheaval of the trade, Doncic is also still working his way back into top shape after missing 6 1/2 weeks with a strained calf.
Doncic declined to speak to reporters Monday after the Lakers' practice, which he ended following a 3-point shooting drill with Dorian Finney-Smith, his former teammate in Dallas. Both veterans ended up with the Lakers this season .
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 going to be excited, but everybody in the locker room is excited,鈥� Finney-Smith said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got his back. It鈥檚 going to be a hard-fought game. I know (Mavs coach Jason) Kidd is going to have them ready to come in here and compete, so we鈥檝e just got to match their intensity.鈥�
This matchup unfortunately won't feature both headlining players in the blockbuster trade.
Anthony Davis, the big man who teamed up with LeBron James to lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship, with a groin injury sustained in his first game with the Mavs.
Davis, who is on the road with his new team, is beloved in Los Angeles as Doncic is in Dallas. He is likely to feel that passion from the Lakers' sellout crowd 鈥� and so is Max Christie, the Lakers' former second-round pick who blossomed into a starter this season before the trade to the Mavs.
A full on-court reunion will have to wait until at least April 9, when the Lakers visit Dallas.
Doncic, who turns 26 on Friday, has played in only four games for the Lakers since getting healthy enough to return to the court. But he took a major step toward full strength with last Saturday night.
He put up 32 points with four 3-pointers, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the Lakers' 123-100 blowout win over the Nuggets, who had been a brutal matchup for Los Angeles in recent seasons.
鈥淲hen he made the first 3, I was like, 鈥極K, he鈥檚 on it tonight,鈥欌�� Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said with a grin. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how much he鈥檚 100% healthy, but he鈥檚 started to get back to his rhythm, so I鈥檓 happy for him.鈥�
After Doncic's first two games with the Lakers were played on a minutes restriction, he struggled in his third appearance, going 5 for 18 and hitting just one 3-pointer on nine attempts in . The NBA's hot-take factories chugged into production on concerns about Doncic's game.
The Lakers said they weren't worried in the slightest 鈥� and after Doncic took one game off in Portland to manage his injury recovery, he delivered in Denver.
鈥淚 knew it was going to come,鈥� Finney-Smith said. 鈥淟uka, I shoot with him all the time, so I knew there was nothing wrong with his shot. He just hadn鈥檛 played for a while. He ain鈥檛 played since Christmas, and guys want him to come back and be 30, 10 and 10, but it takes time for him. I鈥檓 just happy he's finding his rhythm.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
