When Anthony Davis said there were “no emotions” ahead of the Lakers-Mavs showdown, he wasn’t just tossing out a cliché—he meant it. It came up after their ugly loss to the Clippers on April 6. Fox Sports’ Melissa Rohlin asked him how it felt going into a game against LeBron James, his teammate for six years and co-star in that 2020 title run. Davis barely blinked. “No emotions,” he said.

At first, you might’ve thought he was just playing it cool. But if you watched Wednesday’s game in Dallas, well… the proof’s in the pudding. Once Luka torched his old squad for 45 and LA cruised to a 112–97 win, it was handshake time. Davis started making the rounds after the final buzzer—hugging, dapping up, showing love to just about every Laker on the floor.

Except LeBron.

A reporter brought it up, asking how it felt to face AD for the first time as opponents after years of being side-by-side.

LeBron didn’t try to mask it. “Different, different no, you know, obviously, we had our own emotions built into it. Yeah, so it was just different. I think that’s the first time we played together since 19, I believe, you know, when he was in New Orleans. It was my second year, first year, second year—one, I don’t know. I’ve been here for a minute now, but just different, man, and it’s definitely ain’t got comfortable yet, with him being on the other side for sure.”

There was a pause there. That “just different” didn’t sound like small talk—it sounded like a wall still up.

But a few minutes later, in the same presser, LeBron gave us the other side of that coin. Asked about their deeper connection—going back to Team USA in 2012—his tone shifted.

“I mean, I think it just set the tone for his career, you know, to be around all of us in 12…fresh out from a player of the year in college, national champion, doing what he did in the NBA, and then being able to practice with us every day. Ride the buses, ride the planes with us every day, you know, we was blowing teams out. He got in, got his moments in the game. I think it was the perfect, like, send off into his career while he is who he is today, part of it. I think he learned so much from all of us, and that’s why he’s top 75 all time, and a Hall of Famer, Champion… I mean, his accolades is out of this world. So he’s a special talent and a better person.”

So yeah—LeBron clearly still holds a lot of respect for AD. But between the words and the body language? There’s a tension neither one of them seems ready to unpack just yet.

Still, if you thought that was the only subplot from this Lakers-Mavs clash, think again. While Luka Dončić stole most of the spotlight in his return to Dallas, LeBron James quietly etched another milestone into NBA history.

LeBron James breaks yet another record

You’d think passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on a major all-time list would dominate the headlines—but Luka Doncic had other plans.

Still, what LeBron James pulled off on Wednesday night deserves its flowers. The guy didn’t just show up to the American Airlines Center—he stamped his name on NBA history again. That game marked his 1,561st regular-season appearance, bumping Kareem down a spot and putting himself second behind Robert Parish (1,611). Let that marinate for a second—dude’s been lacing up since 2003 and still looks like he’s got fuel left in the tank.

And it wasn’t just a ceremonial check-in either. LeBron went to work.

He dropped 27 points on 55% shooting. Missed all four from beyond the arc, yeah—but he bullied his way to the rim and hit 5-of-6 from the stripe. Throw in 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal? Pretty efficient night for someone who’s been doing this longer than TikTok has existed.

Season-wise, he’s still going strong—averaging 24.5 points, nearly 8 boards, and over 8 assists, shooting over 51% from the field and 38.1% from deep. Oh, and he’s just 3 made threes away from catching Reggie Miller on the all-time list. No big deal.

But again, this was Luka’s show. He torched the Mavs with 45 points, made 7 of his 10 threes, and finished with 8 boards, 6 dimes, and 4 steals. The guy looked like he was playing NBA 2K on rookie difficulty. LeBron made history, but Luka made the night unforgettable.