Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas was always going to be emotional, but he made sure it was also historic. Even the fans were appreciative of their former franchise cornerstone throughout the game. Nearly a year after the infamous trade, the Dallas Mavericks faithful proved their affection for the 26-year-old hasn’t faded, and he made sure to return the love.

Since the trade was announced, the displeasure from the Mavs fans was everywhere. Be it outside, inside the arena, during the game, the love was always visible. So, Luka Doncic surprised a group of 22 fans that he had never met before. He bought a suite for them, and in addition to the game tickets, his business manager also arranged a pregame meet-and-greet. They even got a gift bags which contained Luka 5 shoes, a Lakers Luka jersey and some other gear.

A fan apparently broke down in tears while seeing the love and respect from the 5x All-Star. While it was an emotional return, the fans also got the best version of Luka Doncic on the court. While doing so, he had his 1,500th career three in Dallas on his second made triple of the game. The Lakers even announced that the Slovenian is the youngest player in NBA history to reach that mark, besting Jayson Tatum by 32 days. He caught fire early during the game, which the fans appreciated.

Luka Doncic is coming off a strong 32-point performance against the Clippers. It was the 25th time in 35 games that Doncic scored 30 or more points. The streak continued against the Mavericks as he scored a double-double, which included a game-high 33 points and 11 assists. It began on the right note as he scored 11 points in the first 9 minutes. By halftime, the Lakers took a 65-52 lead; he already had amassed 17 points, 7 assists and even got “MVP! MVP!” chants from the Dallas crowd in the 2nd quarter.

It was just his second time as an opponent, and before the game, Doncic stated how he actually felt. “Obviously, always going to feel like home there,” Doncic said, via The Sporting Tribune. “Like I said, I needed that game to move on a little bit. But obviously, I’ll always appreciate these fans. They were really tight, and I think we had a special bond. I really appreciate it all the time.”

Luka Doncic’s return marked by praise from Jason Kidd

The motivation to perform against the former team just lights a fire inside. Doncic has not lost in the four meetings so far. In fact, he has had a double-double in three of them. In the one game he didn’t, Luka dropped a 45-point game against them in Dallas, setting the record for the most points scored in a debut against a player’s former team. His offensive duties were never an issue, but the Mavs traded him for his lack of defensive responsibility.

Before his return, the head coach, Jason Kidd, was somewhat appreciative of the changes that Luka Doncic had made on the defensive end. “Yeah, he’s competing,” Kidd told reporters ahead of the Lakers-Mavericks game on Saturday night. “That’s nice. Last night, he was competing one-on-one with [James] Harden and Kawhi [Leonard]. So, he’s moving his feet. Again, he’s competing on both ends and try to help his team win.”

When Doncic played with the Mavericks, Kidd surrounded him with great defensive players. That is definitely not the same case in LA. JJ Redick’s team is among the worst defensive teams in the league. Doncic shares the starting lineup with LeBron James and Austin Reaves, making them perhaps the worst defensive superstar trio. They have allowed 122.34 points per 100 possessions this season. From the past few games, Luka has taken the responsibility of shielding his team.

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While his defensive rating for the season (115.4) is a career-worst, Doncic has shown marked improvement recently. This turnaround is evident in his defensive ratings over the last four contests, which have dropped to 107.1 against the Mavericks, 109.2 against the Clippers, 105.7 against the Nuggets, and a stifling 99.2 against the Raptors, signaling a renewed commitment on that end of the floor.