Teary Doncic scores 45 on Dallas return

Lakers clinch playoff spot, Mavs fans erupt

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Luka Doncic shrugged off the raw emotion of his return to Dallas with a dazzling 45-point display against his former club as the Los ‘Angeles Lakers downed the Mavericks 112-97 to punch their ticket to the NBA playoffs on Wednesday.

Doncic, who joined the Lakers from Dallas in February in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, was given a rousing reception by Mavs fans packed into the American Airlines Center to pay tribute to their former hero.

A pre-game video montage was screened in the arena just before Doncic was introduced to the sellout crowd of 20,841 fans, many wearing t-shirts bearing the words “Thanks for Everything” written in the 26-year-old’s native Slovenian.

Doncic visibly teared up as he watched the tribute and looked distraught as he was comforted by Lakers teammate LeBron James moments before tip-off.

But after that emotional pre-game ceremony, Doncic quickly snapped into game mode, swiftly getting into his scoring groove to give Mavericks fans a painful reminder of the generational talent that was traded away by the club.

Doncic scored 14 in the first quarter alone and added a further 17 in the second period to help the Lakers into a 60-57 half-time lead.