Luka Dončić obtains his revenge against Mavericks, but “the closure will take some time”

Los Angeles – It would be easy for Luka Dončić to say that Tuesday’s match was cathartic, that seeing and killing his former comrades wearing Dallas Mavericks jerseys would be enough to clean up all the wounded feelings to be dumped, to be dupes.

It would be easy for each song of “thank you Nico” coming from the faithful of the Lakers to fill Dončić, to make him feel like one of them – even if doing him in the context of Anthony Davis obtains a warm welcome with his video Tribute it seems a little embarrassing.

But it doesn’t work like that, not for both sides. It will probably not be like that in a few weeks either, when the Los Angeles Lakers will be sure to play their very first home game in Dallas when Dončić returns for the first time since his exchange.

“The closure will take some time, I think,” said Dončić. “I don’t know, it’s just not ideal. As I said, I’m glad this game is finished. There was a lot of emotions. It will be fine, little by little. Every day is better. “”

Whatever this process, it will be a slow burn and the Lakers have only time in this case. They slowly built a coherent defense this season, slowly trying to find a way to maximize the remaining efficiency of LeBron James and must now detach themselves to work in the incredible talents of Dončić before the start of the playoffs in two months.

Dončić’s triple-double is certainly the first of many in a laker uniform, because his energy punctuated the Lakers early against the Mavericks while James polished at night with a race in the fourth quarter.

The result was a victory of 107-99 of the worker at Crypto.com Arena, in an emotionally loaded atmosphere while almost all the energy was preparing for an explosion of Dončić – one that sparked all the wounded feelings, the Insinuations and betrayal Dončić must have felt over the past few weeks. Almost predictable, Dončić was apparently too excited for the game. The man made pumps during his pre-match shooting session, while Nico Harrison was Cooly on the other side of the ground.

Harrison was not hidden; The Honcho, head of the Mavericks, was easily identifiable in an electric blue costume, disturbed by the prospect that Dončić seeks him to high level explanations in any language that Dončić decided.

The fireworks were never really materialized, but it was clear that the two teams worked on emotion and were almost bankrupt at the end of the night when the Mavericks could have achieved an improbable upheaval.

James crossed all the types of stressful atmosphere as a pro, but he was never thrown by a franchise. James is usually the one who does the dumping, so there is little little things he could do.

Everything James or his Laker teammates could make for Dončić were built an emotional wall around him, so he was not drowned in his own anger towards his former franchise. Even Redick couldn’t help but call it weird, but he wanted everyone to kiss discomfort.

“I thought he had managed it well,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick. “Not a great shooting evening but he did a lot of games. I just thought he was clearly developed to start the game. It was expected but I thought he had settled. »»

Aside from an early burst, when Dončić struck two shots in a row and barked on the Mavericks bench, he did not become uncontrollable during this performance. His 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists indicated Yeoman’s work more than Picasso to paint a masterpiece, while the Mavericks coach Jason Kidd compared him to the meadow in the meadow -match.

Dončić’s greatest satisfaction arrived late, when he and James began to find himself like James spots for a triple following Dončić doubles in the post. And he could also have obtained a manicure in the area when James found Rui Hachimura for a lay -up with a little over a minute to seal the game – in fact, he faced and discussed with the mavericks bench when The game took place.

It is the luxury he has by playing with James, who scored 16 of his 27 points as a team in the fourth, to accompany 12 rebounds and three assists. Luxury is returned to James, who does not have to requisition an offense for a better part of 35 minutes so that his team has a reasonable shot to win.

At one point, he feels surreal, let’s say that if you are Austin Reaves. One minute, you receive a perfect external pass from Dončić with impeccable rotation on the line of 3 points, and the next James is on a death so that you can cook to the desire of your heart against the third best defender of the perimeter of a team.

It’s a good way to make a living to score 20 points on 12 shots.

And perhaps it is a coincidence or a simply moment of the calendar, James began to go back to both ends. Redick said James has played at a level of any defense for six weeks – and that the Lakers have undoubtedly been the best defense of the League since mid -January, with a defensive note of 107.8.

“People can have a perception of what he is as a defender. I look at him every night, ”said Redick. “He is not marked in isolation, when the teams try to target him. He blows. He is still in the right position, moving, recovering. There is a perception of him at his age, retaining energy. No. There is no energy conservation. He played a good defense for a while.

Dallas plays a good defense by trade, and even without Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II there, it always made the game quite competitive when everyone expected an eruption. If there is a justification for Harrison, he will have to come later if Davis and Lively must be in good health and destroy terror on the offenses. Defense always wins in this league, and doing it with versatility and size is an additional bonus.

Kyrie Irving did everything he could to wear the offense (35 points), and a push by Klay Thompson closed the match halfway through the fourth before Dončić and James closed the evening.

“JJ said we have to organize ourselves. Once organized, we have a lot of weapons, “said Dončić. “(James), at 40, it’s crazy, to resume the fourth quarter. It is surreal to watch.

Dončić is still injured by trade, still injured by basketball activities raising his head. You wonder if there is a shade of regret somewhere mixed with pride and betrayal, if the disconnection which existed obviously could have been rectified between itself and the people who decided that it would be preferable to the ‘Send elsewhere.

Emotional exhaustion seems to suggest that he has not fully accepted with everything that has happened, but there again, there is practically no answer that would satisfy him given everything he felt that ‘It was worth this franchise.

Being a laker, being embraced as it has been since the time the transaction has been announced probably gives him a break on how he was treated during his stay in Dallas. It is enough to make a second of supposition itself, even the most confident type.

But confidence is built, very slowly. The pump and the circumstances will continue to grow, just like the issues.