Luka Doncic finally has his first 'blackout moment' with Lakers

Dirk Nowitzki revealed just how "down and disappointed" Luka Doncic initially felt at being traded by the Dallas Mavericks in the most shocking deal in NBA history. Nowitzki felt so bad for his friend he traveled to Los Angeles to "be there" for Doncic when he made his Lakers debut.

JJ Redick, who played his final season for Dallas in 2020-21, wanted to see Doncic, his former teammate, play with the old joy he displayed with the Mavericks. He made his request before Saturday's road game against the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers head coach said he told Doncic to have "at least one blackout episode where he's screaming indiscriminately at no one in particular."

"That's the Luka I know," Redick added.

Doncic appeared to play and feel like his old self against the Nuggets. He scored a game-high 32 points and amassed 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals to lead L.A. to a 123-100 blowout victory over Denver.

Doncic matched his previous highest scoring performance as a Laker in the first quarter with 16 points. After L.A. ended its eight-game losing streat at Ball Arena, he admitted to "having fun" and experiencing the type of moment his coach thought he needed.

"JJ told me, 'You gotta have one, that blackout moment you have,'" Doncic told reporters. "So I think I have one. Just felt like me a little bit, so I was happy."

"Just felt like me a little bit."

Luka Dončić on his breakout Lakers performance, after the 123-100 win over the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/kiEiqAETkN
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 23, 2025

LeBron James definitely noticed a difference in Doncic.

"He was super dialed in. He was very locked in on what he wanted to do out here on the floor tonight," James said. "Once he started hitting those step-back 3s and got to yelling and barking, either at the fans or at us, or himself."

The timing of Doncic's first "blackout" as a Laker couldn't have been more perfect. He faces his old team for the first time Tuesday when the Mavericks visit Crypto.com Arena in downtown L.A.

Doncic's happiness is crucial to the Lakers' plan of making him the long-term face of the franchise. ESPN's Brian Windhorst says the pressure will intensify as the team tries to entice the five-time All-Star to sign a contract extension by August 2.

Presently, Doncic appears to be buying what L.A. is selling.

"I think our goal is — not I think, I know our goal is to win a championship," Doncic said. "That's our only goal. And I think we have the team for that."