DALLAS — The Lakers clinched a playoff spot after the emotional return to Dallas for Luka Dončić, who tied his season-high 45 points against his former team in Los Angeles' 112-97 win over the Mavericks on Wednesday.
The Lakers (49-31) win guarantees a playoff spot in the top six of the Western Conference with two games left in the regular season, and more importantly, keeps them from seeing the play-in tournament for the first time in their last three playoff appearances.
The emotions were high all around in the return to Dallas since the blockbuster trade for Dončić, who was tearful during his tribute video as a visitor for the first time at the American Airlines Center.
The place he called home for his first seven years in the NBA.
Emotional return for Luka.#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/8YeydlV4HM
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 9, 2025
"After that [tribute] video, I was like, 'there's no way I'm playing this game.' There were so many emotions, and I just went out there and played basketball," Dončić said.
Every bucket and every touch of the ball by Dončić led to a loud cheer from the crowd, who seemed to be cheering for both sides: their home team and their favorite player's new team.
"The way the fans accepted me and cheered for me was unbelievable," Dončić said.
Dončić came out firing against his former team, torching the Mavericks for 31 first-half points—his highest-scoring half of the season—as he set the tone early for L.A. Despite Dončić’s offensive explosion, Dallas kept pace behind the return of several key contributors and a steady presence from Anthony Davis, trailing by just three at halftime.
The Lakers made a concerted effort to double-team Davis in the post and midrange to limit his effectiveness inside the paint against L.A.'s small-ball lineup. The former Laker finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes.
After Dončić carried the offensive load through three quarters, LeBron James took over in the fourth. The 40-year-old powered his way to 13 of his 27 points in the final frame, attacking the paint relentlessly against Davis and Daniel Gafford. It was a masterful James fourth-quarter performance, closing out a much-needed road win.
With the game out of reach with under two minutes left, Dončić received a standing ovation from the Dallas crowd while subbing out toward the bench, embracing the crowd with the sound of the final of many "Luka" chants that even his teammates chimed in on from the bench.
"They all had my back. That's what we talked about before the game and everybody had my back, from coaches to players," Dončić said on the moment. "We're trying to build something special here and that was nice to see."
Head coach JJ Redick expressed the team's desire to clinch the third seed, a spot the Lakers currently sit in with two games left against Houston (Friday) and Portland (Sunday).
"We want the third seed, and we have two more cracks to guarantee that spot," Redick said. "I'm thinking about the 3rd seed... we want more."