3 Overreactions as Luka Doncic leads Lakers to Late Rally Over Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in the American Airlines Center on Saturday evening, bringing in a full crowd despite the icy conditions in Dallas. Why? Because Luka Doncic was back in Dallas.

The Mavericks entered this game riding a four-game winning streak, their longest streak since they traded Doncic away to the Lakers nearly a year ago. They've mostly been a sinking team, which is what happens when you trade away a generational player for a bag of peanuts (with respect to Max Christie). Without Cooper Flagg, this team would have little to no future.

And Flagg started the game strong, hitting the first basket for the Mavs from the left elbow, but the Lakers controlled this game nearly from the beginning. After a back-and-forth first six minutes, the Lakers grabbed hold of the game with a 9-2 run near the end of the quarter, as the Mavericks were trying to go too fast, which led to turnovers, and that led to Doncic controlling the fastbreak. In the first quarter alone, Luka Doncic had 12 points and 4 assists, which had the Lakers ahead 37-28 after one.

The second quarter was more of the same. Marcus Smart hit a few threes with Doncic and LeBron James on the bench to push the lead into double digits, and then James and Doncic returned to keep the lead that way. Former Laker Max Christie was doing what he could to keep the Mavs in striking range, but Doncic was continuing to be an impressive playmaker and game controller, which had the Lakers leading 65-52 at halftime.

Dallas started the third quarter strong, as they ripped off a 12-0 run to get back within one. Cooper Flagg had a nice finish around Doncic, then hit a three a few minutes later, which ignited the AAC. That run extended to 16-0 with another bucket by Flagg and a finish in transition from Caleb Martin, who looked like a quality basketball player again.

Luka Doncic would score five straight points to help stabilize the Lakers. But the Mavericks would continue their onslaught. Brandon Williams even hit a Shammgod as the Mavericks built an eight-point lead. They'd go into the fourth leading 87-79, outscoring the Lakers 35-14 in the third. Brandon Williams was the difference maker down the stretch of that run.

And Williams kept it going to start the fourth, hitting a tough and-one layup. A Caleb Martin three from in front of the Lakers' bench pushed it to a 14-point lead. Just when it seemed like the Mavericks were going to run away with the game, though, Luka Doncic brought the Lakers back.

It was a 15-point game with 8 minutes left. Then, the Lakers ripped off a 12-0 run, closed off by Doncic's 10th assist of the night to a cutting LeBron James, which cut the lead to three. With the game hanging in the balance, Rui Hachimura went on a personal 7-0 run, getting a four-point play from the left wing, then followed it up from the right wing. LeBron tipped in a miss a minute later to make it a 5-point game. Doncic hit free throws to push the lead to 7. And another layup by Doncic made it an 8-point game in the final minute, pushing the game out of reach.

The Lakers would go on to win 116-110, outscoring the Mavericks 29-8 in the final seven minutes. Luka Doncic was brilliant, putting up 33 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds on 8/15 shooting.

That was enough to outperform a trio of Mavs with 20+ points: Max Christie (24 points), Naji Marshall (21), and Brandon Williams (20, but he was also a -24 in a game they lost by 6???). Cooper Flagg was solid with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, but he shot just 7/20 from the floor.

Here are three overreactions from this loss.

1. Luka Doncic Will be a Maverick Again One Day

Jan 24, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up before the game between the Mavericks and the Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic and the city of Dallas have a special connection. It turns out that Doncic invited a lot of popular Mavericks content creators to the game to thank them for their support, and the fans still cheer loudly for Doncic. He may have signed a three-year contract, but you can tell how much the city and its fans still mean to him. All of the "Come Home" signs will only get more prevalent as the years go by. Go ahead and start drafting up the free agent contract in 2028.

2. Get Max Christie in the 3-Point Contest

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) looks on during the second half against the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Max Christie has genuinely blossomed into one of the best shooters in the NBA, and that was no different in this game. His second quarter fed families while keeping the Mavs in the game. At this point, there's no reason he shouldn't be there on All-Star Weekend for the Three-Point Contest.

3. A Noticeable Lack of Klay Thompson...

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) runs back up the court during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Klay Thompson only played 14 minutes in this game, scoring 6 points on two made three-pointers. He played about 10 fewer minutes than Caleb Martin, which is an interesting decision, to say the least. A week ago, Thompson was lighting up the Utah Jazz, and I'm supposed to believe he couldn't play more here?

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