While watching their team start the 2025-26 campaign 0-2, Dallas Mavericks fans see their former star, Luka Doncic, who scored 49 points and made NBA history with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first week of the regular season. After a 117-107 loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday, the “Fire Nico” chants made an emphatic return. The chant made famous after the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers felt appropriate at American Airlines Arena on Friday.
Doncic's 49 points led the Lakers in a 128-110 blowout win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. At the same time, the Mavericks missed their chance to earn their first win of the season, prompting jokes at Dallas' expense, per The Athletic's Sam Vecenie.
“Luka having 34/4/3 on 10/15 from the field in 3 quarters for the Lakers against Minnesota tonight while the Mavericks lose to the Wizards at home and their offense sputters and overflows like a clogged toilet really feels like a low point so far for Dallas fans in 2025,” Vecenie said.
Some pointed to Luka Doncic, who's scored 49 points against the Timberwolves, 92 points in the Lakers' first two games of the season, as the best player in the NBA right now, while the Mavericks are the most disappointing team at 0-2. Others pointed to the irony of Doncic's 92 points, which was Dallas' point total in its 33-point loss (125-92) in its season opener against the San Antonio Spurs, as CBS Sports' Sam Quinn noted.
Klay Thompson on ‘Fire Nico' chants amid Mavericks' 0-2 start
The chant signaled the fans' revolt against Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, who pulled the trigger on the blockbuster trade of Luka Doncic — the most shocking trade in recent NBA history. However, after selecting Cooper Flagg, the league's projected next star, first overall in this year's draft, it felt like things were looking up for the Mavericks. After Friday's loss, Klay Thompson defended the fans' frustrating chant.
For Thompson, it's a sign that the Mavericks need to play better, he said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
“You got to give ’em something to cheer for,” he said. “I got to give ’em something to cheer for. It’s the nature of the game, man. I’ve been there. I was a fan for 20 years before I got in the NBA. I would’ve definitely criticized players. We deserve a lot of criticism. We’re the ones out there making it happen.”
The Mavericks will look to avoid a 0-3 start when they host the Raptors on Sunday.
