Luka Doncic leads Lakers’ comeback over Mavs in 2nd return to Dallas

Luka Doncic had 33 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in his second game in Dallas since being traded to Los Angeles, and the Lakers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Mavericks 116-110 on Saturday.

The Lakers trailed by 15 with 7:41 left in the fourth quarter before moving ahead 108-106 with 2:15 remaining after Rui Hachimura scored seven straight points.

LeBron James' layup and Doncic's two free throws put the Lakers ahead by seven with 1:15 left, and Los Angeles held on to snap the Mavericks' four-game winning streak.

James and Hachimura scored 17 points apiece for the Lakers, who improved to 2-1 on their eight-game road trip. Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart each had 13 points, and Deandre Ayton grabbed 11 rebounds to go with nine points.

Max Christie led Dallas with 24 points, and Naji Marshall added 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Brandon Williams scored 20 points, Caleb Martin added 17 and Cooper Flagg had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Doncic -- obtained from Dallas in a blockbuster three-team trade on Feb. 2, 2025 -- scored 12 points in the opening quarter to help the Lakers take a 37-28 lead.

Doncic made two 3-pointers in the first quarter to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,500 career 3-pointers made.

Los Angeles extended its lead to 55-41 on LaRavia's trey with 5:18 left in the second quarter and held a 65-52 advantage at the half.

Doncic had 17 points in the first half to lead the Lakers while Christie had a team-high 15 points for Dallas on 6-of-13 shooting.

Dallas began the second half on an 18-4 run and surged ahead 70-69 on Flagg's floater with 6:36 left in the third quarter.

The Mavericks led 87-79 after outscoring the Lakers 35-14 in a dominant third-quarter display.

Dallas was outscored 37-23 in the fourth period and fell to 0-4 against the Lakers since Doncic was traded.