Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick joked that he was disappointed star guard Luka Dončić didn't score 50 points against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday evening.

Dončić settled for just 45 points in his return to Dallas, where he played for the first six-plus seasons of his career before the Mavs stunningly traded him to the Lakers on Feb. 1.

This marked his first road game against the Mavs, and it resulted in a 112-97 victory that also saw the five-time All-NBA First Teamer amass eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.

It was a tremendous game for Dončić, who previously posted a 19-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double in a 107-99 home win against Dallas on Feb. 25. The game also served as another reminder for the Mavs' ownership and front office regarding what they lost in Dončić, who is now co-leading a Lakers team with LeBron James that could very well make a championship run.

Meanwhile, Dallas will fight just to make the playoffs. Its magic number to make the play-in is just one (one win or one Phoenix Suns loss), but Dallas needs to win a pair of play-in games just to get the No. 8 seed, meaning a first-round matchup with the powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder and a likely quick exit.

Of course, Dallas has been snakebit by injuries to crucial players, most notably a torn ACL to point guard Kyrie Irving. But the move, which was widely panned at the time, seems more shortsighted by the day and looks even worse now after Dončić's 45-point outburst.

After the game, Dončić expressed his love for the city and the fans but noted the importance of moving forward.

And with that, Dončić and the Lakers have the playoffs to look forward to. They'll hang onto the No. 3 seed with wins in their last two regular-season games, which will be Friday at home versus the Houston Rockets and Sunday at the Portland Trail Blazers.

Dallas Mavericks legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki will be in attendance Wednesday when the Mavs host the Los Angeles Lakers and welcome back Luka Dončić since the team traded the five-time All-NBA First Team player to L.A. on Feb. 1.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon relayed the news while noting Nowitzki's last attended NBA game as well.

That game occurred on Feb. 25, when Dončić posted a 19-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double in a 107-99 win.

This is a big game for both teams.

The Lakers have a tenuous hold on the Western Conference's No. 3 seed, a game up on four teams tied for fourth place. They'd obviously like to hold onto that spot, but at minimum, the Lakers would like a top-six seed to clinch playoffs and avoid the play-in tournament.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks need just one win (or one Phoenix Suns loss) to clinch their play-in spot. They'd also like to jump over the ninth-place Sacramento Kings to earn a home game in the play-in tournament as well.

Of course, the return of Dončić dwarfs all that as the former franchise cornerstone and legend returns to Dallas after a trade that stunned the fanbase and the sports world at-large. The beloved player just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year, marking the team's third Western Conference title in franchise history.

Eight months later, his career in Dallas was over. He's thriving in L.A., which could certainly engineer a championship run with him aboard. Meanwhile, it's been tough sledding for the Mavericks, although they've been hit quite hard with injuries, namely a season-ending torn ACL for Kyrie Irving.

Tipoff in Dallas is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

The odds have been set for Luka Dončić's return to Dallas.

FanDuel Sportsbook released the betting props ahead of Dončić's return to American Airlines Center for the first time since his shocking February trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Dončić at Dallas Mavericks odds

Points total: 30.5

Assists total: 8.5

Double-double: -160

Triple-double: +350

Top points scorer: -110

The Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are set to tip off at American Airlines center on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Dončić, who had been sidelined with a calf strain for more than a month at the time of the Feb. 2 trade, made his Lakers debut on Feb. 10.

After two games played under minutes restrictions, Dončić has returned to averaging more than 36 minutes per night over his last 24 games with the Lakers.

Over that span he has averaged 28.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game while helping the Lakers climb into a top-four spot in the Western Conference.

Now, he is preparing to face his former team for the first time since the franchise traded him, reportedly without warning, less than one year after he helped lead them to the NBA Finals.

“There’s gonna be a lot of emotion for me,” Dončić said Tuesday about his return to Dallas, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “I don’t really know what to expect. I don’t know how I’m gonna feel, honestly. I’m looking forward to being back in Dallas, obviously, with the fans, seeing my teammates – ex-teammates. It’s gonna be very emotional for me, for sure.”

In case that wasn't enough motivation to win on Wednesday, the Lakers are coming off of a frustrating Tuesday loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, from which Dončić was ejected late in the fourth quarter.

Last time the Lakers and Mavericks matched up, Dončić recorded a 19-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double to help Los Angeles claim a 107-99 win on Feb. 25 at Crypto.com Arena.

Unlike last time, Dallas will likely have Anthony Davis in the lineup. But the injury-plagued Mavericks will still be limited by the loss of Kyrie Irving to a torn ACL.

Irving's injury, the frustrating end to the loss of the Thunder and the giveaway shirts thanking Dončić for his time in Dallas could be the perfect storm for a big Wednesday night performance from the former Mavs star.

With just four days remaining in the NBA regular season, the playoff picture is starting to come into focus.

The NBA unveiled the clinching scenarios for Wednesday's schedule, including the Los Angeles Lakers being able to secure a playoff berth with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Lakers could also clinch the Pacific Division title with a win and losses by the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.

Wednesday's marquee matchup between the Lakers and Mavericks, beyond just being Luka Dončić's return to American Airlines Center for the first time since he was traded, has huge implications for Dallas.

The Mavs can secure a spot in the play-in tournament with a victory or loss by the Phoenix Suns, who will be eliminated from contention if this scenario plays out Wednesday.

Dallas is also one game behind the Sacramento Kings for the ninth seed to determine home-court advantage in the 9-10 game on April 16.

Dallas has been better at home (21-17) than on the road (17-24) this season. The Kings, by comparison, have been roughly as good at home (19-19) as they have on the road (20-21).

Speaking of the Suns, they have to keep their season alive on Wednesday against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that can clinch home-court advantage throughout the postseason with a victory.

A Lakers loss to the Mavs opens the door for even more chaos in what's already an extremely chaotic situation in the West. They are currently one game ahead of four teams that all have identical 47-32 records (Warriors, Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies).

If those four teams finish the season with the same record, the Clippers would earn the No. 4 seed.

Oh, by the way, the Minnesota Timberwolves are only a game behind that quartet. So the possibility of a five-way or six-way tiebreaker is still very much in play. If a five-way tiebreaker were to happen, the Timberwolves would be the biggest beneficiary because they would move from their current spot in the play-in all the way up having home-court advantage in the first round as the No. 4 seed.

The Orlando Magic, who are already locked into the play-in tournament, are the only other team with a clinching scenario on Wednesday. They could win the Southeast Division title for the second consecutive season.

Orlando hasn't won consecutive division titles since the peak of the Dwight Howard era from 2007-08 to 2009-10. The Magic have to beat the Boston Celtics, who have secured the No. 2 seed in the East, to win the Southeast Division.

Luka Dončić was "stung" by reports that the Dallas Mavericks had questioned his work ethic before trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dan Woike reported for the Los Angeles Times.

"They have no idea," Dončić told Woike. "… I didn’t end up here by mistake. You know? I worked my ass off to be here.

"So it’s kinda, I would say, disrespectful, just sad that people say that.”

At the time of the Feb. 2 trade, Dončić had not played since suffering a calf strain on Christmas Day.

Woike reported that "people close to the team have praised Dončić for his work to get healthy" and that the star has "been a constant presence at the optional workouts" since the trade.

That work has been taking place with Javier Barrio and Anze Macek, medical staff members who came to Los Angeles alongside Dončić, according to Woike.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon previously reported that Dončić first hired Maček and Barrio after the Mavericks fired multiple team health and performance professionals as part of an effort to encourage Dončić to improve his conditioning.

Maček and Barrio were then hired and paid by Dončić himself as his "body team" ahead of the 2023-24 season, according to Shelburne and MacMahon.

Barrio had experience working with Dončić at Real Madrid, while Maček came from the Slovenian national team, per Woike.

MacMahon was one of the first reporters to connect the Mavericks trade to Dončić's conditioning, reporting that the team had been concerned about it minutes after the trade broke on Feb. 2.

MacMahon and Shelburne then reported that Dončić weighed in at 255 pounds when undergoing an MRI on his calf in January and that the Mavericks "considered his ideal weight to be 245."

When asked about the criticism regarding his conditioning shortly after the trade in February, Dončić told reporters: “It’s a motive. I know it’s not true, but it’s a motive. It’s a big motive for a long run here.”

According to Woike, both Dončić and his new team "acknowledge there are ways to get the most out of him," primarily by allowing him to focus practice on competitions rather than drills.

After playing limited minutes in his first few games with the Lakers, Dončić has averaged 28.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists through his last 23 games with the team while sitting out two contests over the stretch.

He will be looking for another big showing against his former team when the Lakers meet up with Anthony Davis and the Mavericks on Wednesday night in Dallas.

LeBron James is Kenough.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar was announced as the first male athlete to be a "Kenbassador" complete with his own doll created by Mattel.

Per Mattel Creations' website, the doll was created in collaboration with the LeBron James Family Foundation and will embody his "his signature elevated streetwear style" with an array of different outfits.

The various outfits and accessories available include an "LJ" varsity jacket with patches of the state of Ohio, LeBron James Family Foundation crown logo and James' signature No. 23 on the sleeves; a "We Are Family" t-shirt; blue and white Nike Terminator sneakers and Beats headphones.

The Athletic's David Betancourt noted the James doll is one inch taller than the traditional Ken doll.

James joins a list of celebrated athletes who have had their likeness immortalized by Mattel as part of the Barbie family.

WNBA legend Sue Bird and tennis icon Venus Williams were among nine female athletes who had Barbie dolls made in their image last summer as part of the company's Summer of Sports campaign and to honor the 65th anniversary of Mattel.

Fans will have the opportunity to purchase the James collectible starting on April 14. It will be available at select stores and online retailers for $75.

With any luck, James will team up with Ryan Gosling to perform a duet of "I'm Just Ken" now that the NBA legend is part of the Barbie family.

A case of mistaken trash talk was at the center of Luka Dončić's fourth-quarter ejection in the Los Angeles Lakers' 136-120 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Dončić explained he "didn't really understand" his ejection because his trash talk was being directed toward a fan sitting courtside.

"I never got a fan ejected," he said. "Never. But if [the fan is] going to talk, I'm going to talk back, like always. That had nothing to do with the ref. So I didn't really understand."

Dončić was given a second technical foul after making a basket, then turning around to say something to someone. Referee J.T. Orr was in his line of sight when he started jawing, so he assumed the verbal jabs were being directed toward him.

Dončić attempted to plead his case, but to no avail. Orr gave him his first technical foul earlier in the game for arguing a missed foul call when Jarred Vanderbilt got hit on the head by a Thunder player.

In the pool report after the game, crew chief Tony Brothers said Dončić's second tech was issued because "he looked directly at an official and used vulgar language."

The Lakers went up 108-107 on the basket Dončić made before he was ejected. They were outscored by Oklahoma City 29-12 over the final 7:40 without their star point guard.

Losing the game clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference for the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are still in the driver's seat for the three seed, but they are only one game ahead of four different teams with three games remaining in the regular season.

Los Angeles will play the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks in Dončić's first game at American Airlines Center since being traded.

Luka Dončić had an earlier-than-expected exit from Tuesday's matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Los Angeles Lakers star picked up his second technical foul of the night with just under eight minutes to play in a tight game. His first technical came in the third quarter after he argued with the officials following a no-call.

It's unclear what Dončić said to earn the second technical, but he appeared to be telling the official that his words were directed toward the crowd rather than at the referee.

The fan who had the exchange with Dončić, Jeremy Price, explained what happened after the game.

“During the game within the game, I mentioned that he was short and he missed it and he turned around and he shot an explicative back and J.T. [Orr] happened to see it and that point, T’d him up," Price said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Crew Chief Tony Brothers told the Associated Press' Cliff Brunt that Dončić was given the first technical because he "directed profanity at a game official" and was assessed the second because "he looked directly at an official and used vulgar language" (h/t The Athletic's Jovan Buha).

Dončić has been known to get into it with officials throughout his career, and it's led to him amassing a number of technicals over the years. Last season, he led the league in techs with 19, and he's tied with Jayson Tatum and Trae Young for the fifth-most technicals with 14 this year.

Dončić's exit proved to be costly for Los Angeles on Tuesday. It was a one-point game when he was tossed at the 7:40 mark in the fourth, but the Thunder proceeded to run away with the game and win 136-120. Dončić finished with 23 points and five assists.

His ejection came at a costly moment for the Lakers as they could have clinched a playoff berth with a win. They're still sitting in third place at 48-31 following the loss, but with how tight things are in the West, they can't afford many more losses.

The No. 3 seed and the No. 8 seed in the West are separated by just two games, meaning a losing skid to end the year could see Los Angeles have to fight for a postseason spot through the play-in tournament.

Luckily for the Lakers, the matchup with the Thunder was probably the toughest game they'll have for the rest of the year. They'll have matchups with the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers to round out the season.

As long as Dončić can avoid any more ejections, they should be able to pick up a few wins and punch a ticket to the postseason.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves received lofty praise from a rival executive in the Western Conference.

"He's the best undrafted player since Ben Wallace, and that guy's a Hall of Famer," the exec said to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

There's some competition for Reaves for that title just among active players. Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso and Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet all jump out.

Calling Reaves an undrafted player is also simultaneously accurate and a bit of a misnomer. He revealed in 2023 on All the Smoke the Detroit Pistons expressed interest in taking him 42nd overall, but he "kind of declined that" in the hope of finding a better fit.

The fact Reaves didn't get picked wasn't totally a reflection of how teams evaluated him. He and his representatives understood finding the right landing spot was better than simply getting drafted.

But that doesn't change the executive's broad point. Reaves has unquestionably achieved more on the court than anybody expected. He has continued to improve and his work across the 2024-25 season is his best yet.

The 26-year-old is averaging 20.2 points on 45.8 percent shooting along with 5.8 assists.

Ever since signing LeBron James in 2018 and then acquiring Anthony Davis, Los Angeles has felt too much urgency to let a lot of homegrown talent develop. Experience often trumps youth when a franchise is pursuing a championship.

Reaves is the obvious exception. He emerged as a key piece in L.A.'s 2023 playoff rotation, and he's now an integral supporting player alongside James and Luka Dončić.

VanVleet's $128.5 million contract with the Rockets was the biggest ever for an undrafted player when he signed it. Reaves can opt out of his current deal in 2026 and he might soar past that figure when the time comes.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James gave some insight into his impeccable work ethic that helped him become one of the greatest players of all time.

During Tuesday's episode of the Mind the Game podcast (38:00 mark), James revealed to his co-host Steve Nash that he arrives at every game five hours before tip-off for an extensive pre-game routine.

"I want to give myself the time to prepare how I know I would like to prepare for a match," James said. "What I do, all my time, there's no fat, there's no f--k around time once I get to the arena."

James explained that his day starts with some lifting in the weight room before immediately doing an on-court workout. He then does "body work" before his recovery process. After that, he begins attacking the matchup mentally by reading the scouting report.

"Pretty much, when that is done, now JJ is coming into the locker room and he's addressing the team, and it's time to go," James said. "... I have a little meal, couple snacks within there, obviously I want to keep my nutrition going and I have to fuel the body because I know what I'm about to do out on the floor. But, that time is occupied."

That unmatched dedication helped James achieve greatness throughout his legendary career, and the 40-year-old is hoping to add a fifth career NBA title this year.

James and the Lakers (48-30) will be in action on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-14). He's probably at the arena already.