On Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers played host to the Dallas Mavericks, with superstars Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis facing off against their former teams.
It would be the first time Dončić would face the Mavericks this season, which was almost certainly circled on his calendar once the NBA regular-season schedule for the 2025-26 campaign was released.
Along with Dončić still having an axe to grind with the Mavericks, considering how things panned out last season, the superstar guard still has fond memories of his former teammates, such as Klay Thompson.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Messes With Thompson With Multiple Up-Fakes
Dončić didn’t disappoint during this matchup against the Mavericks, as he cracked the 30-point mark while also getting his teammates involved with double-digit assists.
Perhaps the best highlight of the night for Dončić was when he was tormenting Thompson with multiple up-fakes before drilling a three-pointer. Dončić couldn’t help but pat Thompson on the behind with a smile on his face while heading back up the floor.
Luka smacked Klay on his behind after hitting him with the pump multiple times 😭
Cold.pic.twitter.com/1LnSggO7Tf
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 29, 2025
The bad blood between Dončić and the Mavericks may be subsiding, especially after the team recently parted ways with general manager Nico Harrison, who traded the superstar to the Lakers last season.
However, these Lakers-Mavericks matchups will always be must-see TV moving forward, as this game definitely didn’t disappoint, with the game going down to the wire. The game could’ve gone either way, with all five starters for both teams cracking double-digit points.
Although this night was all about Dončić facing his former team and Davis playing the Lakers in Los Angeles for the first time since being traded last February, Austin Reaves stole the show as he absolutely torched the Mavericks, scoring a game-high 38 points, hitting six of his eight attempts from beyond the arc.
In the end, the Lakers came out victorious, as they were able to pull away down the stretch in the fourth quarter, improving their record to 14-4 while the Mavericks fell to 5-15.
The next time the Lakers will get to work on the basketball floor will be Sunday when they play host to Zion Williamson’s New Orleans Pelicans in Los Angeles. New Orleans, like Dallas, has struggled to start the season with only three wins to its credit, as it has been one of the worst teams in the league so far.