‘Fantastic’: Luka’s clutch defense seals Lakers’ win

DALLAS – Last season was all about Luka Doncic going on a scoring spree, being back in Dallas for the first time. Saturday, it was Doncic’s defense that helped spark a furious Los Angeles Lakers’ comeback to beat his former team 116-110.

The Mavericks led by 15 with 7:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, surging all the way back after L.A. led by 13 at halftime.

The Lakers closed the game on a 29-8 run, with Doncic thwarting former coach Jason Kidd’s scheme to attack him on defense.

“We counted after the game, he had six straight stops where they targeted him,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Doncic. “Just a fantastic job from him. Then [he] makes the game-sealing defensive play with the charge on [Naji] Marshall.”

Doncic drew the offensive foul on Marshall — a well-liked ex-teammate of his who he exchanged good-natured trash talk with all night — with 41.8 seconds left, a possession after he cut through the defense to score a finger roll layup to put L.A. up by eight.

“It’s a special place,” Doncic said of Dallas. “I mean, I’m always going to want to win no matter what. Every game I want to win, but obviously this one’s a little bit different.”

Doncic said he visited his house — and his car collection — Friday night and was grateful to the Mavs fans who braved icy conditions on the roads to pack American Airlines Center for the game.

“That was really special,” Doncic said. “I didn’t know what to expect before, because I know how this city gets when the weather is bad. I really appreciate a lot of people showing up.”

Doncic finished with 33 points on 8-for-15 shooting, 11 assists and eight rebounds, a game after Redick called him out for not trusting his teammates and looking to pass enough in L.A.’s 112-104 loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday.

“Everybody had a great game,” Doncic said. “The ball was shared. Fifteen shots up [by me], so [I] take JJ’s point.”

LeBron James scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, Rui Hachimura scored seven of his 17 — scoring seven straight on a four-point play followed by a 3 to give L.A. the lead with 2:15 remaining — and Marcus Smart scored seven of his 13 in the final frame and played through pain while doing so.

“My finger popped out,” Smart said of his right index finger that he had surgery on in the offseason. “So I had to put it back in. … Popped it right back in.”

And similarly to last season, a big team effort has the Lakers popping back into the conversation as a threat in the Western Conference.

Doncic’s first return to Dallas in April seemed to galvanize the group, with Doncic wiping away tears pregame and then wiping the floor with the Mavs en route to 45 points. It was their sixth win in a nine-game stretch, which included a buzzer beater in Indiana by James and a dominant performance in Oklahoma City against the eventual NBA champs.

There wasn’t the same fanfare this time around — although there was a warm reception for Doncic when he was introduced before the game and “MVP” chants when he shot free throws in the second quarter — but the win could have a similar effect for a Lakers team that’s won three out of their past four games.

It is also anticipating the return of Austin Reaves as early as Wednesday in Cleveland from a left calf strain that’s sidelined him since Christmas.

“That’s the unknown, but that’s what you hope [for], obviously,” James said when asked if the Lakers are starting to build momentum. “That’s the unknown but you play the game. We got to now prepare ourselves for Chicago. … So, we got to keep this road trip going.”

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.

Originally published at ESPN