Dallas vs. Dončić! No one thought these words would ever be uttered. But a surprise trade on February 2 saw Luka Dončić, the former Mavericks superstar traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Tuesday’s night game on TNT surely did not disappoint. If there were any sentimental feelings, Dončić made sure to get rid of them before tip-off as he led the Lakers to a 107-99 victory against his former squad. He posted 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists, which marked his first triple-double in a purple and gold uniform. Dončić joked that he “couldn’t make nothing today” but his triple-double told another story.

The seismic trade made basketball lovers across the world circle February 26 on their calendar as it would be the first matchup between the two teams since swapping multiple players. Fans were shocked about this trade but no one more than Luka himself. Dončić believed he would retire as a Maverick. But concerns about his conditioning and injuries led to the franchise trading him to another team. This trade means that Dončić will be ineligible to sign a five year, $345 million supermax contract extension. Under league rules, Dončić will now have to settle for a four year, $229 million contract. With this being the first time Dončić faced his former team, many wondered if he had revenge and even money on his mind.

Despite his good play, Dončić was indeed emotional as he said in the press conference that “it was just a lot of emotions and not much sleep.” He finished his comment by saying that “I’m just glad it’s over, honestly.” Dallas did not go away easily and made sure Luka was not the only talk of the night. The Mavericks dynamic backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson both scored in double figures as they notched 35 and 22 points respectively.

The game seemed to be getting out of hand in the middle of the 2nd quarter for the Mavs, who only shot 34.6% from the field in the first half. But former Laker Max Christie, who was shipped to Dallas in that 3-team trade, gave the Mavs a spark. He made two late clutch 3-pointers to cut the Lakers’ lead to 59-51 at the half.

The Mavs eventually found their shot in the second half and were able to give the Lakers a game. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Lakers led 78-77. Thompson went on a hot streak late in the game by scoring 11 straight points, making sure his team hung with the Lakers in the 4th quarter. Heading into the final 5:30 of the game, Thompson hit a 3-pointer that tied the game at 91-91.

Even though Dončić has been the latest talk of L.A., LeBron still had to remind everyone why he is called King James. He scored 16 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter to help stop any chances the Mavs had to win the game. Two of those points included a putback slam off of a Dončić miss. It seemed to be James’ defense that surely made a difference during crunch time as his physicality propelled many missed shots and turnovers for Dallas.

Despite the loss, Thompson still believes in his squad. The Mavs were without superstar Anthony Davis, who was also sent to Dallas as a part of the same 3-team trade between the teams. Dallas was also missing two additional key pieces in centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Thompson thinks they can win it all as the 4x champion proclaimed “I know what a championship team looks like and feels like. I know we have what it takes to do that. We just have to get whole and hold down the fort until we get healthy.”

Some Dallas fans do not seem to share Thompson’s optimism about the squad. Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, the man partially responsible for the blockbuster trade was in Crypto.com Arena for the game. Harrison had to endure expletives yelled at him prior to tip-off from ticked off Mavericks fans who are still upset about the trade. Then, during the game Lakers fans could be heard repeatedly chanting “Thank you Nico!” to poke fun at the GM and emphasize how happy they are to have #77 on their roster.

Los Angeles improves to 35-21 while Dallas drops to 31-28. Both teams will play their next games at home on the 27th. Lakers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas will return to American Airlines Center for a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.