Luke Doncic was visibly emotional before the game on Wednesday night as he made his first return to Dallas following the trade. But his strong feelings about th

Players on both the Mavericks and Lakers recognized the importance of the moment for Doncic, who moved to the United States as a teenager and grew up in Dallas. Anthony Davis even noted that Dallas "still loves him," which underlines the connection Doncic still has with the Dallas community.

The Mavericks fans, who’d chanted “Fire Nico” about Nico Harrison the Dallas general manager, who traded Doncic, chanted “Luka, Luka” repeatedly as LeBron James waved his arms to egg them on. Anthony Davis, who the Mavericks received for Doncic, had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.