Luka Doncic shook off the rust in his first game since Christmas Day, helping the Los Angeles Lakers dismantle the Utah Jazz 132-113 on Monday night.
The Slovenian, who missed 22 games due to a calf injury, tallied 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in just 23 minutes in his Los Angeles debut. Doncic sat out the entire fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
"I heard a lot of noise when I was introduced. So really appreciate it. It was a special moment," Doncic said postgame.
Prior to his debut, Doncic announced he would be donating $500,000 to the Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund.
Los Angeles acquired the five-time All-Star just before the trade deadline, sending Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki attended the game to support Doncic. The pair played one season together in Dallas.
Doncic was appreciative that his former mentor was there to cheer him on. "I've always looked up to (Nowitzki). A great mentor. For him to fly all the way from Dallas, it was amazing. I really, really appreciate it," he said, per the Washington Post's Ben Golliver.
Los Angeles dominated from start to finish and led by as many as 34 points.
LeBron James scored a game-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and eight assists. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura added 22 and 21 points, respectively.
John Collins and Lauri Markkanen each scored 17 points for the Jazz.
The Lakers improved to 32-19 and are riding a six-game winning streak. The Jazz fell to 12-40 after the loss.
The two teams will face off again in Utah on Wednesday night. Redick says the plan is for both Doncic and James to play in that contest, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
