It was Luka Doncic who stole the show on Wednesday night as the new Los Angeles Lakers superstar made his return to Dallas to take on his former team. This was Doncic’s first time back in his former stomping ground following his mid-season blockbuster trade to L.A., and he made sure to mark the emotional occasion with a special performance.
Doncic led the Lakers to a crucial 112-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks with 45 points — tying his career-high with his new team — along with seven triples, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Doncic’s incredible performance in his revenge game is one that will be remembered for a long time, no doubt.
Overshadowed by all the attention on Doncic and his return to Dallas is the fact that LeBron James made history yet again. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer helped lead L.A. to victory by registering 27 points, seven boards and three dimes.
In the process, James made another mark in the NBA’s history books by passing the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second spot in most games played all-time.
James played his 1,561st career game on Wednesday, which allowed him to overtake another Lakers icon on the esteemed list. He now has his sights set on Robert Parish’s all-time record of 1,611 games played.
James can potentially surpass Parish and claim the all-time record next season.
As for the Lakers, Wednesday’s win was huge. They have officially clinched a playoff spot in the West, and are currently occupying the No. 3 seed with just two games remaining in the regular season.
They battle the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets at home on Friday before closing out their season with a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
