The story still was about Lakers superstar Luka Doncic and Dallas star Anthony Davis, who were part of one of the NBA’s most infamous trades. They forever will be linked after the Mavericks shocked the basketball universe last February by shipping generational talent Doncic to the Lakers in a deal for multitalented Davis.
On Friday night, however, Doncic shared the spotlight with Austin Reaves, who continues to be a shining star for the Lakers.
They combined for 73 points during the Lakers’ 129-119 win over the Mavericks, and it was Reaves holding down the leading scorer spot over backcourt running mate Doncic.
Reaves was efficient with his work in scoring 38 points, going 12 for 15 from the field and six for eight from three-point range to go with eight rebounds.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic is called of for a blocking foul on Mavericks forward Naji Marshall at Crypto.com Arena on Friday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The fans even chanted “M-V-P!” when Reaves shot two free throws midway through the fourth quarter, a sign of how dominant he was.
“I finally made the threes, so that was nice,” Reaves said. “Like you said, Luka draws so much attention. [LeBron James[ obviously [is] Bron and they are gonna get the majority of attention. I kind of run around out there and find open spots and make shots, hopefully big shots, and [I] sort of done [that] the last of the night.”
Doncic also was efficient in dropping 35 points on his old Mavericks teammates, going 10 for 17 from the field, four for nine from three-point range, and making all 11 of his free throws.
Doncic also had 11 assists and five rebounds to help the Lakers push their winning streak to six.
The emotions of playing the Mavericks aren’t as raw as they were the first time Doncic played in Dallas, but he admitted that he still has fond feelings for the franchise.
“I would say it’s a little bit easier now,” Doncic said. “But like I said, games against Dallas always have some special meaning to me. I still have a lot of friends there. It’s always special. It’ll always be special for me.”
The Lakers improved to 4-0 in NBA Cup Group B play and clinched home-court advantage in the quarterfinals. They will host the San Antonio Spurs on Dec 10.
Before the Lakers play in that NBA Cup game, they have back-to-back games here, Sunday against the Pelicans and Monday against the Suns, and then travel to Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia before returning home for the single-elimination game against the Spurs.
“Yeah, just, I mean, you want to win the games regardless, whether they’re for the Cup or not,” Reaves said. “Just to have the best record that you can.”
Davis, who returned after missing 14 games because of a left calf strain, scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out five assists in his first game in Los Angeles since the trade.
Deandre Ayton, who missed the Lakers’ game against the Clippers on Tuesday because of a right knee contusion, had 17 points and eight rebounds.
Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the draft, had 13 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Court change
The Lakers didn’t use their special NBA Cup court during their group stage game against the Mavericks after the team flagged concerns that it was too slippery.
After the Lakers debuted the special yellow court Tuesday in a win over the Clippers, Doncic said during his postgame news conference that the floor was dangerously slippery. The team reported the problem to the league, and technicians from the court vendor determined the surface was unplayable for the group stage finale, according to a team spokesperson.
The court could be repaired and available in time for the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
The colorful NBA Cup courts were designed to help set the in-season tournament apart from other regular-season games. The Lakers played their first two NBA Cup games on the road — in Memphis and New Orleans — and Doncic did not remember having a problem with courts in those games, but it became immediately clear during pregame warmups Tuesday that the Lakers’ bright yellow NBA Cup court presented issues.
“Yeah, and I really appreciate the Lakers and the league,” Doncic said. “They did us a favor. I was talking about it, so I really appreciate both of them, just changing the court and (so we can) stay healthy.”
For Ayton, who missed the previous game against the Clippers because of a bruised right knee, his return was more than about his 17 points and eight rebounds.
He was mostly impressed by the way Reaves performed.
“He was making some tough buckets, man, like some mean, aggressive buckets under the rim where us trees (big men) were down there and he was making some tough baskets,” Ayton said. “I’m just like, ‘You a dawg.’ I’m running back telling him, ‘You a dawg. Like, you are making some tough baskets.’ You just got to take your hat off to him. I”ve been seeing it since I got here.”
