A Night of Excitement, Respect, and Fun Plays

First impressions of Luka Dončić and the 'new' Los Angeles Lakers

Photo by Ronald Martinez

After a whirlwind week of all kinds of emotions, the moment we’d been waiting for finally arrived. Luka Dončić played basketball again.

The vibes couldn’t have been more contrasting. In Los Angeles, it still felt like a Hollywood movie with an unimaginable plot twist, surreal to see No. 77 in gold. Meanwhile, miles away in Dallas, the horror story continued as another injury depleted the team, and fans were being kicked out of the American Airlines Center as they protested against their new reality.

The lowly Utah Jazz provided the perfect opponent for Dončić and the Lakers to ease into this new era, giving him his first game action since Christmas after the longest injury layoff of his career, all while keeping the flow of a team that had caught fire, winning six straight and 12 of their last 14.

Dončić finished the night with a quiet 14-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist stat line, playing only 24 minutes on a minutes restriction and sitting out the fourth quarter. But this night was about everything except the numbers.

---

Today’s highlights:

1. A night of respect (🎞️VIDEO)

2. A night of excitement and flair

3. Fun plays I: the lobs (🎞️VIDEO)

4. Fun plays II: J.J.’s triple threat action (🎞️VIDEO)

5. Fun plays III: Luka to LeBron touchdowns (🎞️VIDEO)

---

1-A night of respect (🎞️VIDEO)

However you feel about Dončić, Anthony Davis, or the trade, one thing the entire NBA world almost universally agreed on was that the Mavericks’ week-long smear campaign and the disrespect shown toward a player who brought so much excitement and joy to the fans was out of line—a mistake that will make repairing trust with their fanbase exponentially harder.

This is why, for Luka and his fans, the overwhelming display of respect on this night had to feel cathartic.

Dirk Nowitzki showing support online and being there in person, sitting alongside Luka’s dad Saša, sent a strong message from the man who embodies everything about the Mavericks. And of course, Luka repaid that with a signature Dirk one-legged fadeaway—another sign that the love and respect between them will never be lost.

LeBron James texting Dončić in the morning, letting his younger superstar partner have his moment by being introduced last and receiving the loudest cheer at Crypto.com Arena, was yet another gesture showing how the best player of this generation feels about Dončić.

2-A night of excitement and flair

Dončić looked rusty in his first game after a long absence—his three-point shot was off at 1-of-7, but his smile wasn’t. You could see it when he tossed his first alley-oop to his new lob partner, Jaxson Hayes, and again when he sank his first step-back three over Jazz big man Walker Kessler. The trademark joy and grin were back, growing even bigger with every interaction with James.

Watching Dončić and James play—or even just stand next to each other on the court—still feels unreal. But the excitement and the reality of two generational playmakers solving problems together are starting to sink in.

Another thing that was evident in this first game was how perfectly Luka’s game and on-court flair fit the Showtime stage. Every lob, every step-back, every behind-the-back pass drew sighs, oohs, and aahs from the crowd.

3-Fun plays I: the lobs (🎞️VIDEO)

Again, the Jazz aren’t exactly a team to draw serious conclusions about the new-look Lakers, but there were glimpses of things to come that are easy to foresee.

The first and most obvious was the lob game, as the Lakers wasted no time, opening both halves with two alley-oop dunks for Hayes within the first minute of play.

Hayes is probably one of the happiest people in Los Angeles right now. Not only will he be playing alongside Dončić, who has made life easy and fun for similarly bouncy lob targets like Dwight Powell, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford, but with the Mark Williams trade rescinded, he’ll be doing it as the Lakers' starting center.

Hayes made season high six field goal attempts—all dunks. Five of them came off lob passes, with three assists from James and two from Dončić.

After Dončić’s lob dominance last season, taking away the lob threat became a top priority for Mavericks' opponents. But with Dončić now joining forces with James, that task looks even more difficult, as not one but two of the game's best playmakers can attack downhill and sling passes at any moment.

4-Fun plays II: J.J.’s triple threat action (🎞️VIDEO)