More than a week after the trade that shocked the world of sports, Luka Doncic made her Los Angeles Lakers debut in a matchup with the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
The game was turned off without any problems. Doncic dropped 14 and the Lakers won the Jazz dominant 132-113 in downtown Los Angeles. He shot five of the 14 out of the field and one of the 14 out of the back of the arc, and with five rebounds and four assists that were in his first game a few weeks after the calf injury I shot one from behind. He only played 24 minutes, but Doncic looked back at his old self.
“I was happy to be on the court again,” Doncic told ESPN after the match.
Mavericks legend Dark Nowicki also came to Los Angeles to see Doncic’s debut.
I’ll always be a Mav for life, but I had to support my man 77 @luka7doncic in the first game of his new chapter!
– Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 11, 2025
“Great friend, great mentor,” Doncic said of Nowicki. “It really means a lot to be able to show up here.”
Doncic joined the Lakers’ starting lineup alongside LeBron James, and was last announced to a loud roar from fans at crypto.com arena. Fans also received a custom Doncic Lakers shirt upon arrival.
Doncic didn’t waste much of his scoring either. He drained the first point alongside the Lakers with three pointers from the top of the key just minutes after the contest.
Doncic was traded for Anthony Davis and the Lakers on February 1st. This is still NBA talk, thanks to the collective rage of an inauspicious start from Dallas Mavericks fans and Davis’s team.
Mavericks reportedly increased security following a death threat against general manager Nico Harrison. That was before Sunday’s news that Davis was reportedly appearing for weeks with adductors who suffered during Saturday’s debut. Davis maintained a contactless injury in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ game against the Houston Rockets. He was the first to play the game since he suffered abdominal tension while playing for the Lakers on January 29th.
Doncic hadn’t played since Christmas, but he was on the sidelines as the calf on his left was nervous. In 22 games this season, he averaged 28.1 points and 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists, joining the Lakers team, currently 32-19, sitting fifth in the Western Conference.
Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht was also available for Monday’s game, but coach JJ Reddick said he had no intention of playing him. Knecht was traded to Charlotte Hornets before the deadline, but the transaction was cancelled after Mark Williams physically failed. Knecht is scheduled to play again Wednesday night.
James missed the game with an ankle pain Saturday. He returned from a one-game absence to join Doncic in one of the most anticipated NBA player debuts in recent memory. James finished with 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the win.
Austin Reeves dropped 22 points and nine rebounds, while Louis Hachimura added 21 points and six rebounds to the Lakers. Lauri Markkanen led Utah with a loss of 17 points after getting to an eighth from behind the ARC. John Collins finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson finished with 16 points. The Jazz will sit 12-40 of the season.
It’s a blown victory, and the two stars are still working to figure out how they mesh on the court, but the Doncic era is officially underway in Southern California.
