It took 1 quarter (and 1 play) to show why Nico's trade was especially disastrous

The vibes were ethereal on Wednesday evening as the Dallas Mavericks took on the Los Angeles Lakers in Luka Doncic's return to the American Airlines Center. The arena was decked out in shirts in every seat that said "Hvala za vse", which translates to "Thank you for everything" from Slovenian to English.

The Mavericks played a tribute video for Doncic during the starting introductions in what was an incredibly bittersweet and emotional moment for him and fans, so much so that Doncic was visibly tearing up.

However, once the buzzer sounded, Doncic wasted no time proving to Nico Harrison why he made possibly the worst trade of the century in professional sports. Doncic was scoring from all three levels early in the game, and he noticeably looks in slightly better shape compared to the beginning of the season with Dallas. He was moving very well and got into the paint effortlessly for multiple absurd kick-out passes.

Doncic torched Anthony Davis and the Mavericks in the first quarter

On top of that, Doncic was making tough shots at the rim and the perimeter, and Mavericks/Lakers fans were roaring with applause anytime he even touched the ball or scored. One play roughly halfway through the first quarter illustrated Harrison's disastrous decision to an absolute tee, though, as Doncic sank his signature step-back 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Anthony Davis at the top of the key.

Doncic finished with 14 points on 5-9 shooting in the first quarter, as well as finishing 3-5 shooting from outside. While he may have been emotional toward the start of the game, he lit up into go-mode very quickly, and it's clear he's bound and determined to make Harrison regret his blunder of a decision every single time he plays against the Mavericks for the rest of his career.

Mavericks fans could’ve never imagined Doncic torching Dallas in a Lakers uniform so early on in his career, but this is an unfortunate reality fans will have to live with, given Harrison’s decision. While Doncic is going to make the smart basketball play nearly every time offensively, he can get to his spots against nearly any defender in most situations. No one on Dallas’ defense is stopping him when he’s dialed in to the max, especially when Doncic makes it a point of emphasis to attack, and his step-back is going in. 

There’s a good chance Doncic lights up Dallas for a ton of points tonight, as his first quarter was likely just the beginning of an onslaught given how charged up he is for this game. Emotions may be high, and Doncic obviously loves Dallas’ fan base, but he has a killer instinct and gets up for these types of high-stakes games like Mavericks fans have seen plenty of times before, and this case projects to be no different.

Follow us for the latest on this game, as we’ll have you covered with everything stemming from Doncic’s return to Dallas.