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The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a heated playoff race after splitting a pair of games on the road against the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers are still in the No. 3 spot in the West, but they must continue to tally wins in order to fend off a hungry pack of chasing teams.
Tuesday's loss against Oklahoma City was marred by controversy. With about seven minutes to go, Luka Doncic got a tough bucket to fall to give the Lakers a one-point lead. After the shot, he said something to a Thunder fan sitting courtside and was given his second technical foul, ejecting him from the game. The Thunder went on a huge run with Doncic in the locker room and pulled away with a 136-120 win.
Of course, there's no time to dwell on anything in a packed NBA schedule. After the game, Doncic had already moved on to Wednesday night's clash with the Mavericks, which will be the Slovenian superstar's return to his old stomping grounds after the trade that sent shockwaves through the NBA just over two months ago.
Following the Thunder loss, Doncic gave his honest take on going back to Dallas, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
“I don't really know what to expect,” Doncic said, per McMenamin. “I don't know how I'm going to feel, honestly. I'm looking forward to being back in Dallas, obviously, with the fans, seeing my teammates — ex-teammates. It's going to be very emotional for me, for sure.”
The atmosphere in Dallas on Wednesday is sure to be a unique one. Doncic didn't want to leave Dallas and the fans there still love him, so it will be interesting to see what the reception looks like.
No matter how he is received before the game, there is sure to be plenty of emotions for Doncic in his first game back. It is also a big game for both teams, as the Mavericks look to secure the No. 9 spot and get home-court in the play-in tournament while the Lakers are trying to lock up the No. 3 seed.
