Lakers' Luka Doncic Explains How Facing Mavs Is 'A Little Easier' Now After Trade

Luka Dončić is getting used to seeing the Dallas Mavericks on the other side of the court nine months after the trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

After leading the Lakers to a 129-119 win over his former team on Friday night, Dončić explained that games against the Mavs will "always" have special meaning to him, even if "it's a little easier" to play them now.

Friday was the third time Dončić has played against the Mavericks since the trade. He is averaging 33.0 points, 9.7 assists and 9.3 rebounds, with the Lakers going 3-0 in these matchups.

Mavericks-Lakers Full Highlights

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Dončić lit up Dallas in this most recent game, scoring 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting, dishing out 11 assists and grabbing five rebounds in 40 minutes.

Only one of the games has been played in Dallas so far, last season on April 9. That night was clearly an emotional rollercoaster for Dončić, though it didn't hinder his performance because he put up 45 points.

The Lakers' first trip to Dallas this season will be on Jan. 24.

One thing that could be helping to ease any potential awkwardness Dončić might feel when playing the Mavs is how successful the Lakers have been so far. Their victory on Friday night improved their record to 14-4.

This is the earliest in a season the Lakers have been 10 games over .500 since 2020-21 when they also started 14-4.