Jason Kidd Reacts to Luka's 1st Game vs. Mavs: 'Fills Up the Stat Sheet Like No Other'

Jason Kidd praised Luka Dončić after his former player put up a triple-double in his first game against Dallas Mavericks to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-99 win.

"I thought he picked his spots, he was able to find his teammates. He was Luka," Kidd said after the Mavericks' loss. "Drove it, made plays, and then also finished.

"Probably had some looks that normally goes down for him, but he fills up the stat sheet like no other player."

Kidd had said before tip-off that facing Dončić meant taking on "one of the best players in the world."

"He is the game plan, he is a Picasso, he's going to paint beautiful paintings," Kidd said before the game. "You've just got to make it tough. He's one of the best players in the world. He causes a problem when he's on the floor, and so for us it's just to try to make it tough, and try to keep him off the free-throw line."

Dončić went 6-for-17 from the field for 19 points, while also posting Lakers career highs with 15 rebounds and 12 assists.

His final assist of the game fed James for the layup that ended the Mavericks' hopes of a comeback with just over 30 seconds left on the clock.

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

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said after the deal that Kidd had also been unaware of the trade until it was completed.

Kidd has tacitly backed the trade since, saying on Feb. 6 that the run Dončić led to the 2024 NBA Finals "was a great experience, but we felt we had to get better."

Getting better after the Dončić trade will likely require Davis returning from the injury he suffered in his Feb. 8 Mavs debut. The Mavericks announced last Thursday that Davis' left adductor strain would be re-evaluated in two weeks.