LeBron James: Luka Handled 1st Game vs. Mavs 'Tremendously' After Lakers Trade

LeBron James praised Los Angeles Lakers teammate Luka Dončić for the way he handled his first game against the Dallas Mavericks after the franchise ended his seven-season tenure as a Mav with a surprise late-night trade earlier this month.

Dončić posted his first triple-double as a Laker in a 107-99 Tuesday night home win over his former team.

"Obviously there's a lot of emotion that goes in when you give so much to a franchise and you sacrifice for a franchise and you have that type of love and respect for a franchise— throughout all the journeys," James about Dončić, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "They went to the Finals, all that stuff. He's grown from being an 18-, 19-year-old kid to now a 25-year-old man with a family. ... And when you move on or they move on from you, it's very emotional, obviously. It's very taxing.

"It's probably a lot of things that were going on in his head that probably didn't even involve the game itself. And with that said, I thought he handled it tremendously."

Dončić himself described the game as "a lot of emotions and not much sleep," per McMenamin.

When asked how he felt after the win, Dončić told reporters he was exhausted and couldn't "wait to go to sleep."

Dončić shot just 6-for-17 from the field while posting 19 points, but put up his highest rebound (15) and assist (12) totals since the trade.

His final assist of the game came on the James layup that put away the Mavericks' comeback hopes with 32 seconds left on the clock.

Dončić was reportedly blindsided when news broke late on Saturday, Feb. 1 that he had been traded to the Lakers as part of a deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Mavericks.

In a goodbye letter to Dallas posted on social media, Dončić wrote "I thought I'd spend my career" with the Mavericks.

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who has taken credit for orchestrating the trade with Rob Pelinka, attended Tuesday night's game and was heckled by Lakers fans thanking him for the trade.

Dončić will look to continue adjusting to his new team after missing his final 22 games with the Mavericks with a calf strain, while Harrison will hope the eventual return of Davis after his groin injury is reevaluated next week can help the Mavs improve their playoff outlook down the stretch.