The first question for several NBA fans after Dallas Maverix, on February 2, did a shocking business of Luka Donic for Los Angeles with Los Angeles.
Answer: April 9, waiting for nine weeks will finally become one of the most anticipated regular-season games.
Certainly, Maverix had already faced a 109–104 victory to face Donic and his new team on 1 March.
But on Wednesday night’s competition at the American Airlines Center, the second half of the competition should have been seen.
Doncic, crowds in Dallas and both teams met the moment, and the former Star of Maveryx reminded his former franchise as to why fans organized protests, and even a symbolic funeral, even after business.
Behind 45 points, 8 rebounds and 6 Assist, Donic inspired Laks to win 112–97, in this process received a playoff spot for Los Angeles. After an emotional pregem intro, Donic put 31 in the first-half point, as the crowd erupted with each touch.
What was the atmosphere inside the arena, what can do in the Maveryx Offsin and what this victory could mean for the playoff opportunities of Lams, the internal sources of our ESPN faced the biggest questions from the first game of Dansic in Dallas.
1. The atmosphere in Dallas on Wednesday was _______
Emotional, electrification and sometimes extremely strange.
Donic’s cheeks dropped down as Maverix’s tribute video was played before his turn in the pregem introduction to him. He is still clearly happening when the heart broke up, after suddenly he hoped that he would be his NBA home forever.
This was a feeling shared by most people filling the American Airlines Center. It consisted of Mavs Legend Deirk Novitzaki, who participated in his first Dallas Home Game since Donic Trade. ,
A small percentage of fans wore white cheaper T-shirt “wore” “Hwala Za VSE, Thanks to everyoneIn Slovenian – Printed on the front. Several more sported donic number 77 jersey, from Mavs to Slovenia to Lo -Edition. Others donated their frustration with Dallas General Manager Nico Herrison, donating the shirt, the person who is primarily responsible for the unwanted departure of the oxon.
“Nickel Fire!” The mantras started, after four seconds with the first dead ball, Harrison stood in a midcourt tunnel after the initial tip.
On the other hand, the danon was bathed with love and worship as he burnt the franchise, which was expected to be forever. , Tim McMahon
2. The biggest lesson to take away from this game is ____
This is reverse, but it was the night when Donic became a lake. His team was devoted to uplifting and protecting him and rally around him. This was not an hostile atmosphere, obviously, and it made it feel different from other players in the “Return” game. But this did not mean that Donic was not insecure. It was the weakest he had ever lived in his basketball career, and he knew it. He knew it in the same way that he knew to ask for a towel when he started playing a pre-tipoff video because he knew how he would answer it. And Lakes collectively experienced a demonstration that raised his bond as a team completely.
Donic is still going to be an angry; He is still going to curse the referee and fans. But his relationship with his team changed on Wednesday night. He felt it, when he told Lisa Salers of ESPN on the floor after the game, “It’s time to move forward.”
Lams still has roster challenges, although once again, JJ Radic had a herd game plan aimed at crowding Anthony Davis and ignoring less frightened players on the perimeter, which helped cover LA -sized issues. And just because Laks had this memorable evening, it does not mean that they are leading to a storybook to end.
But it was a fundamental moment to potentially manufacture, which can be remembered as an important building block for large moments in the future of Laks. , Brian Windhorst
3. Luka performed _____ in Dallas
We could expect everything. Capturing the moment, the hinge quickly rained 3S with tears. He had 31 points beyond the arch in each of the first two quarters, which were half with Lakes.
The scoring speed of the donic slowed down slowly after the halftime. This demonstrated the value of its partnership with Lebron James, which raised 14 out of 27 points in the fourth quarter as Lakes opened a double -point lead. Under the stretch, Donic took over again, scored seven consecutive points for LA at 3:30 points, before going to a permanent ovation with 45 points.
The odnic needed only 28 shot efforts to reach there, as well as nine foul shots. Add 8 rebounds, 6 aids and 37.0 game scores of theft and Donsic were his second largest in this season, per basketball-reference.com.
Fans of Mavericks have seen many of these hot performances from Donic, making a bitwatch to see one in their return. According to ESPN Research, Donic joined the Wilt Chamberlane (1964–65 campaign), for the same team in the same season and to score at least 45 points in the same season as another player in the history of NBA. , Kevin Pelton
4. The biggest offsen priorities for Dallas are ____
Getting back a healthy Kyrie irvingation, using their lottery pick and, once again, searching trades. In addition to the minimum exception of veterans, Dallas does not have money to spend in free agency. What is Does Three first round pics and 12 players earn between $ 2 million and $ 16 million which are available for trade.
Is this potentially enough to form a team with Irving and Anthony Davis in Kevin Durant? Because Mavs are estimated to be the first apron team, they will need to trade at least four players and still remain below the apron – a long work will earn a joint $ 150 million, considering Irving, Durant and Davis.
But Nico Harrison has a track record of large tricks; The Roster ending the 2025–26 season may seem much different than one in October. Since conducting basketball in June 2021, Harrison has created 16 trade and has constantly discovered the correct combination of players to win the championship. Mavs’ 2022 is the remaining loan player Dwight Powell and Spencer Dinwidi from the 2022 Western Conference Final Team. , Bobby marks
5. In the playoffs, the ______ led by the odnic can go _____
As far as their crime takes them. When Luka Donic, Labron James and Austin Reeves share the court, Lacs scored 119.5 points per assets, which rank in the 83rd percent of all lineup leagwide, according to glass cleaning. But that trio is also 121.8 points at 100 assets, which ranks in 8th percent.
Despite growing a midSeason and better defensive effort, the new form is not likely to slow down the best opposing crimes in the playoffs. But if Donic, James and Reeves can all click all together, especially when they get more experience of playing from each other, they will make all those points and more at the other end.
The playoff brackets may be in favor of the brackets, which are preferred to remove the number 3 seeds of the West and therefore will not have to face the thunder until the final of the conference. But at the same time, a possible first -round matchup against Nagates, Warriors, Clippers, or Timbervols can prove to be challenging.
It would not be surprising to see the loser in the first round, as it is so filled with dangerous teams above and below the playoffs in the west. But it will also not be surprising to knock an inexperienced rockets squad in the second round to see Laks win a series and even challenge Thunder – which La blown into Oklahoma City on Sunday, then pushed into a competitive game on Tuesday – during the final of the conference.
A team with two best players in the league is naturally an NBA final contender, especially when both of them suffer playoff defense with sufficient experience with such dynamic creators. , Zach Kram
