SAN FRANCISCO – Not long after losing Sunday’s game to the Golden State Warriors, 126-102, the Dallas Mavericks had already turned their
attention to the next game.
And that next game is on the road Tuesday against Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavs traded Dončić to the Lakers on Feb. 2 for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round draft pick.
Mavs forward P. J. Washington already knows what type of game he’s anticipating from Dončić.
“I expect him to bring his ‘A’ game knowing the player that he is and the mentality that he brings to the game,” Washington said. “I know he’s going to be ready as soon as we get out there. Obviously, we can’t wait to compete against him.”
In 22 games for the Mavs this season, Dončić averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists. His last game with the Mavs – who they obtained in a draft day trade with the Atlanta Hawks in 2018 — was on Christmas when he suffered a left calf strain against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said there will be a lot of good players on the floor at once when the Mavs face the Lakers. That includes one of his former teammates – LeBron James – when they joined forces and helped the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Warriors for the 2016 NBA title.
But although James will be on the floor for the Lakers on Tuesday, the eyeballs will squarely be on Dončić and how the Mavs will try to slow him down.
“Outside of just the obvious of us being in LA and (the Mavs) being a former team of Luka’s, obviously the narrative is already written,” Irving said. “I don’t know what else I can really add to that.
“I’m pretty much focused and telling my guys just to focus on a high-level game that we got to win.”
Washington likely will be one of the players chosen to guard Dončić. It’s a task he probably performed a time or two in practice.
“Yeah, but at the end of
the day it’s Luka and we know how good he is,” Washington said. “Everybody knows how good he is.
“He’s tough to contain, tough to slow down. But we’re just going to have to go out there and give it our best shot and hopefully we’ll come out with a W.”
That’s the plan.
Although it’ll be a game likely attended by a lot of Hollywood’s A-listers, Irving tried to put it in its proper perspective. Especially since Dončić collected 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals during Saturday’s 123-100 win at Denver.
“I would love to get into the emotions after the game with you, but before the game it’s just about having fun and making sure that we lock in and have a deep focus,” Irving said. “They’re going to come in and be ready to play against us.
“Luka obviously is going to have a lot of confidence that game. He played last game, so he’s feeling good. We just got to be aware of it.”
Washington is aware.
“We miss him, but at the end of the day he’s our brother and obviously we’re always going to love him,” Washington said. “We just got to go out there and compete against him.
“It’s going to be a great game. I’m excited and I think everybody is excited to go out there and play against him for the first time. Obviously, I haven’t seen him since the trade, so I think it’s going to be a big game for us and everybody is excited.”
WARRIORS RETIRE IGUODALA’S JERSEY: The Warriors retired the No. 9 jersey of former forward Andre Iguodala during a ceremony following Sunday’s game against the Mavericks.
Iguodala played for the Warriors from 2013-19 and again from 2021-23, and helped them win four NBA championships. In fact, he was the Most Valuable Player in the NBA Finals when the Warriors won it all against Cleveland in 2015.
As Warriors coach Steve Kerr was discussing Iguodala, there was a huge picture of Iguodala on a wall in the background as he had a scowl on his face after the Warriors clinched the 2017 NBA title.
“The main thing when I see that photo is just recognizing how much Andre meant to us on and off the court, just the sacrifices he made for the good of the group, (and) the incredible high IQ play at both ends was just critical for our success,” Kerr said. “Andre and I will always have a special connection given our University of Arizona experience playing for coach (Lute) Olson and seeing the game in a very similar way.
“I’ll always be grateful for coaching him.”
X: @DwainPrice
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