Mavericks' Jason Kidd on what he expects from Luka Doncic's first game back in Dallas

The Mavericks' next game will be Doncic's first game back in the American Airlines Center.

Mar 31, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are coming off back-to-back stinkers against the LA Clippers in Inglewood, losing by a combined 54 points. They'll have a few days off before their next matchup: a home game against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.

It'll be Doncic's first game back in Dallas since the shocking trade in February, one that is still talked about around the NBA. Since the trade, the Mavericks are just 12-18, while the Lakers are 19-11. And the Mavs fans have made their displeasure known about the trade ever since, protesting outside of the American Airlines Center, chanting "Fire Nico" at every possible opportunity around the city, and some have left rooting for the Mavericks entirely to continue to root on Luka Doncic.

READ MORE: Clippers blow out Mavericks for second night in a row, 135-104

Apr 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) plays for the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

That may make the emotions run a little hot on Wednesday night when the Lakers come to town. But according to Jason Kidd, it's going to be just another game.

"Just another home game," Kidd said in his postgame press conference after Saturday's loss. "It should be electric. I think the fans will be excited to see Luka. We'll be excited to figure out how to protect home."

Not only will the fans be excited to see Luka Doncic, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the majority of the AAC root for the Lakers and Doncic entirely. Nico Harrison can't even watch home games in peace, having to watch them from a tunnel with security around him. He may have to watch this game from the rafters.

As far as seeding goes, the Lakers are in a hot race in the Western Conference standings. Just 1.5 games separate the Lakers in 3rd and the Grizzlies in 8th. There is still a lot to be determined with playoff seeding. The Mavericks are pretty locked into the 9/10 matchup for the Play-In Tournament unless they collapse and the Phoenix Suns can find a way to win games without Kevin Durant. The bigger question is whether or not they'll host that Play-In game, as they're tied with the Sacramento Kings, and the Kings own the tiebreaker over the Mavs.

READ MORE: Mark Cuban drops bold take on Mavericks frontcourt

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