Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd shared his thoughts on Luka Doncic's return to Dallas, calling it an incredible experience to witness one of the best players in the world and be part of such a memorable game.
Luka Doncic finally made his return to Dallas after being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Luka was phenomenal, putting up 45 points and leading the Lakers to a 112-97 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
After the game, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd spoke about the incredible atmosphere of the game and seeing Luka once again.
"It was incredible," Kidd said. "The fans were great, the tribute was great, and Luka’s performance was great. That’s who Luka is. I’ve said this when he was with the Mavs—he’s one of the best players in the world. He showed that again tonight."
Kidd also noted how difficult it is to stop Luka when he’s on a roll.
"It’s very difficult. He got it going tonight—he made the layups, he made the threes. When he’s on like that, it’s tough to try to take everything away from him. He was really good tonight," Kidd praised Doncic.
When asked if Luka's performance made the Mavericks regret their decision to trade him, Kidd remained focused on his current role as coach.
"No, I have a job to do, and that’s to coach the players in the locker room," he said. "We’ve gone through the process. The guys in that locker room are my focus. I need to put them in a better position to win, and I just didn’t do that tonight. We’re getting healthy and getting off some restrictions."
"We have two games left to get things going in the right direction before we play Sacramento, so that’s all we’re worried about. We understand the emotions and all the attention around this game, but it’s over now. There’s nothing we can do. Luka’s not coming back as a Mav—he’s with the Lakers now. We have to move forward, and that’s what we’ve done," Kidd added.
Despite the loss, the Mavericks have clinched their spot in the play-in tournament. They are currently 10th in the Western Conference with a 38-42 record and will face the Sacramento Kings in the play-in.
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