Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Reaction
Earlier this week, the first of many revenge games between Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks took place. An energetic, wire-to-wire game was ultimately won by the newest member of the Lakers. Luka had a chip on his shoulder this game, not simply for the trade and the way things ended between him and the Mavs organisation but for the ongoing assassination of his character in the media, mostly purported by the Mavs front office, who are still releasing defaming statements as to why he wasn’t the right fit for the team. From supposedly nearing 270 pounds to getting shut down by Jaylen Brown in the finals, to his ‘catastrophic habits’ of beer and hookah, Dallas are doing everything in their power to justify the trade and ruin his chance of success elsewhere. Luka’s response? 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, as well as the win.
I had the pleasure of visiting Crypto.com Arena for this game, and I must say that amidst the deafening chants of ‘Thank you, Nico’ emerging every time Luka hit a shot, what I noticed most is that Luka looks as composed as he ever has. Luka was in rhythm with LeBron and Austin Reaves, often finding them open by creating space off the Mavericks' double team — something the Mavs consistently did throughout the game. I definitely noticed a difference in his style of play to how I perceived it while he was with the Mavericks. There is much less of an obligation for him to touch the ball every possession; not only does this keep defences guessing, but it allows for his time on the ball to be significantly more impactful. I am curious just how much of a difference was made by watching the game live, and while I don’t believe it is negligible, Luka’s performance and his first few games on the Lakers seem to be reshaping a big portion of his game for the better.
If Anthony Davis wasn’t injured, there would be a much different conversation as to the strength of both teams. However, trading Luka should not have been a decision the Mavs ever explored. The reality of the situation is that Anthony Davis has been extremely injury-prone throughout his career; the Mavericks knew what they were getting, and it bit them back instantly.
In seven games with the Lakers, Luka has averaged 21 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. However, the current concern is his lacklustre shooting, averaging a career-low 37.3% from the field and 24.1% from 3-point range. Luka has been fantastic for the Lakers since the trade, and in his past four games has had a triple-double, two double-doubles, and two 30+ point games. It feels as though Luka is beginning to hit his stride with the team as he becomes more comfortable, and the Lakers' playoff potential as a result is skyrocketing.
Detroit breaks a 10-year hiatus
This week, the Detroit Pistons reached a seven-game winning streak, the first for the team since the 2014-15 season. This team is amongst their best seasons in recent memory, and it comes off the back of Cade Cunningham. The 1st overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft is averaging 25/6/9 and has his team in fantastic shape. His maturity and growth as a leader this season — especially amid injury to key players such as Jaden Ivey, and the burden of responding to the embarrassment of last season — has been genuinely inspirational.
A team who last year went 2/28, as well as winless in the month of November, ending the season with an astonishing 14-68 in dead last place, just to turn around and hit 6th place with a 32-26 record and a real shot in the playoffs is remarkable. It is one of the greatest two-season recoveries in NBA history, and this team will be studied by struggling teams in the future.
Detroit extended this win streak to eight with an impressive 20-point win over the 2-seed Celtics, yet the Nuggets ended the streak at eight with a 134-119 victory on Friday. Nevertheless, the Pistons should be extremely excited by this recent streak of exceptional basketball and undoubtedly have their eyes fixed on a solid playoff run.
Joel Embiid shut down for the rest of the season
This past Friday, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that former MVP Joel Embiid will be shut down for the remainder of the season due to growing concerns with his left knee injury. The 2022-23 MVP has been struggling with the injury all season; it was what sidelined him for the first few games of the season and has sidelined him repeatedly throughout. This move likely marks the end of a significantly disappointing season for the 76ers, currently stuck in 12th place with a 20-38 record. The play-in and even the playoffs are still makeable for the team. However, they’ll now have to do it shorthanded. Tyrese Maxey will be the go-to guy going forward and perhaps has been already, averaging 27/6 and having matured greatly over the course of this season, becoming a genuinely impactful locker room presence. Meanwhile, Paul George is starting to find some better form, averaging 15/4/3 over his last 10 games. However, that is where the value halts.
With the focus on next season, the 76ers are a boom-or-bust team. They are in deadly cap trouble, have an ageing, overpaid vet in Paul George, an injury-prone and declining star in Joel Embiid, and a young star who they should give the team to in Tyrese Maxey but likely won't because of the presence of Embiid. This team could be extremely dangerous if they work out some concerns, such as locker room dissatisfaction and an unwillingness to compete. However, for now, these problems appear too impactful to see a clear resolution.
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