Doncic, who had dragged an otherwise unremarkable Mavericks team through the Western Conference, became the face of their failure. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was forced to come out and defend his maligned star, even though without Doncic, the Mavericks were a faded Kyrie Irving and a bunch of role players.

Irving, speaking publicly about the trade for Anthony Davis for the first time, also addressed rumors about the Mavericks adding Kevin Durant.

Coach JJ Redick says Luka Doncic could make his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers this weekend. Doncic participated in his first practice with the Lakers on Wednesday since joining the team in a stunning trade with Dallas last weekend.