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This Jordan Brand ad that dropped before Luka Dončić took on the Mavs last night was brilliant and diabolical.
Luka Dončić’s First Revenge
Former Mav gets triple-double vs. old squad
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison was in the building. The Lakers were primed with a tribute video ready for Anthony Davis, even with him sitting in street clothes. The emotions were running high for both teams. Luka Dončić was playing against his first NBA team — the one he never requested a trade from. The Lakers’ crowd brought some levity to the affair when they chanted, “Thank you, Nico,” during some Dončić free throws.
Dončić delivered in a lot of ways. He dropped 19 points (6-of-17 shooting), grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 12 assists and even got three steals and two blocks. He dueled with Kyrie Irving, talked trash to the Mavericks’ bench and did a lot of little things needed to win. It was evident he had good feelings toward his old teammates but a statement to make to his former franchise.
7 seasons in Dallas 5 NBA All-Stars
5 All-NBA First Teams
Tonight Luka faces the Mavs for the first time… 10pm/et on TNT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9bDeTT7OmN
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
While Dončić controlled the majority of the game — he did manage to rush and force some shots to attempt to bury the Mavs with a big scoring performance — it was the other half of the latest Lakers star duo who decided the game as L.A. weathered the storm from Irving (35 points) and Klay Thompson (11 of his 22 in the fourth quarter). LeBron James took over in the fourth quarter, running out, being a target for Dončić’s passes and dominating around the rim. LeBron scored 16 of his 27 in the fourth.
We saw Dončić end a lot of games on his own in Dallas, but the Mavericks went to the finals when he and Irving could figure out how to close the big games together. Last night, that turned into LeBron and Dončić doing so. After the game, TNT asked Dončić what it felt like to be in this matchup:
“I don’t know how to explain it. I think in the first quarter, second quarter I didn’t know what was happening. It was just different. I can’t even explain how it felt.”
The emotions will probably be different again when he’s back in Dallas on April 9. And hopefully Anthony Davis and the rest of the Mavs will be healthy and available for that circus. This wasn’t closure. It was only the beginning for Dončić.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest plays in NBA history.
The Last 24
Wizards’ leading man is real and spectacular
🏀 Poole party. Jordan Poole is back and no longer a punchline —thanks to his coach.
🎨 Amazing art. There’s a Dončić-Kobe Bryant mural in Los Angeles. Mavs fans are feeling sad.
🏀 No verticality. There is a 6-foot-8 active player for the Magic and has never dunked in a game. He’s just like the hit podcast, “No Dunks.”
📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Celtics (42-16) at Pistons (32-26), 7 p.m. on League Pass (get it here).
Are Warriors Contenders Again?
Is Jimmy Butler the new Rasheed Wallace?
After a historic, one-game foray into being a member of the Hawks, Rasheed Wallace became arguably the greatest trade deadline acquisition in NBA history. This was back in February 2004, when Wallace bounced from Portland to Atlanta to Detroit in the span of 10 days. He spent a Mike-Piazza-on-the-Florida-Marlins-esque amount of time on the Hawks before transforming the Pistons into instant title contenders.
Prior to the trade, the Pistons were good — really good. They were 34-22 with the ninth-best net rating (plus-3.3) in the NBA. They had made conference finals in the previous season but were swept by the Nets, which barely counts as an appearance. After the Wallace trade, the Pistons went 20-6 the rest of the 2003-04 season, had the league’s best net rating (plus-13.3) and went on to win their first title 1990.
The Warriors are hoping Jimmy Butler will be the new Wallace, which kind of works on multiple levels. After all, Butler is a super-talented star consistently discounted for his attitude and demeanor. He’s someone who shifts the balance of everything on both ends of the floor. The 35-year-old has been that for some time, and his entry into the Warriors’ world of basketball already has his teammates feeling elevated — from hopefully making the Play-In to looking for Steph Curry and Draymond Green’s fifth title.
During a TV panel segment at All-Star Weekend, Green talked about the immediate impact Butler was having on turning the Warriors’ season around. At first, he said his new teammate brought back the belief they will win every game and that he thinks the Warriors are going to win the title. Then, he decided to make it more definitive:
“I’m sorry. I said I think we’re gonna win the championship, but I lied. We are going to win the championship.”
That’s what we officially call a guarantee. As Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick wrote earlier this week, the Warriors’ confidence has skyrocketed since the Butler acquisition. He’s the injection of talent, stardom and getting things done on the basketball court the Warriors have desperately needed in their two-plus seasons since winning the 2022 title.
“Jimmy almost won the championship leading the team — twice,” Green said of Butler, who signed a two-year, $112 million extension with the Warriors that runs through the summer of 2027. “So he just needed a little bit more to get over the hump. I think we needed a little more to get over the hump. You combine those two together, and this one guy with an undying passion and wants to win a championship. It’s like burning for that.”
Golden State was 25-26 with a minus-0.4 net rating before the trade. The team is 6-1 with a plus-17.0 net rating since acquiring him. There are some decent wins against Milwaukee, Houston, Sacramento and Dallas in there. The Houston win was only by single digits, but almost all of this happened on the road.
Still, so much work must be done for the Warriors to reach championship level, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see their pathway to a title. Think of some of the biggest trade deadline title-shifters ever:
- 1995: The Rockets (29-17 at the time of the trade) dealt for Clyde Drexler to go on and win their second consecutive title. This time, they did it as the No. 6 seed.
- 2001: Philly (41-14) acquired Dikembe Mutombo to anchor its defense. The Sixers made the finals but didn’t win it.
- 2004: The Pistons get Wallace. Duh.
- 2008: The Lakers (28-16) traded for Pau Gasol. They made but lost in the finals that year and won the next two titles.
- 2019: Toronto (39-16) shored up its interior by getting Marc Gasol and helped the Raptors win their first NBA championship.
These guys all brought something that either turned a good strength into something great or brought something that wasn’t there in the first place. Butler is still a great defender joining a great defense — kind of like Wallace in Detroit. He’s a matchup problem against any individual defender — also similar to Wallace in Detroit. He’s not going to help the Warriors spread the floor, but he will help them make matters real uncomfortable for their opponents.
A Legend Retires
Taurasi is one of the best hoopers ever
We’ve marveled at the excellence of LeBron James during his 22-year run in the NBA that doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon — at least not for another year. Another basketball legend, one who has played for two decades, is finally hanging up the golden sneakers for retirement: Mercury guard Diana Taurasi is retiring from hoops after 20 years of leading the WNBA, she announced yesterday.
Taurasi’s credentials are so ridiculous and immense that it almost feels like they have been poorly edited on a Wikipedia page. Taurasi has more hardware than a damn Home Depot:
- She is the all-time leading scorer in WNBA history.
- Ranks fourth in assists, 25th in rebounds, 18th in steals and 21st in blocks.
- Sits second in games played and minutes played behind Sue Bird.
- Finished first in field goals, 3-pointers and free throws made.
- Retired as an eleven-time All-Star, 14-time All-WNBA, five-time scoring champ, three-time champion and a one-time MVP. She won two Finals MVPs.
- Beyond the WNBA, she is also a three-time NCAA champ, six-time EuroLeague champ and two-time NCAA Tournament MOP.
- Oh yeah, and she has a basketball-record six Olympic gold medals and three golds in the FIBA World Championship.
I’m going to tell you a tale of ignorance that turned into good fandom: I was not all about the WNBA before about 15 years ago. I didn’t spout the ignorant things you see on social media about women’s basketball. And I was aware of what the Comets had accomplished. I hooped a couple times with former Monarchs point guard Ticha Penicheiro, but I did not devote much watching time or fandom to the WNBA.
When I moved to Minneapolis, my friend Trevor was a big Lynx fan. He dragged me to a couple games. The first one I saw was between Taurasi and the Lynx back in 2011. Taurasi tore up Minnesota in that game. She had 27 points and eight assists, with eight of her points coming in the fourth. She also assisted on 11 points in a 39-point fourth quarter to help the Mercury win 112-105. It was when any shred of ignorance about watching the WNBA regularly was crossed up and demolished by Taurasi.
She was pure entertainment, talked trash and backed it up. She had as much swagger and confidence on the floor as anybody I’ve ever seen. From then on, I was in. I rooted for the Lynx, but Taurasi was one of my favorite hoopers, period. I love eliteness when it comes to sports and basketball. Taurasi is as elite as it gets in any basketball league, no matter who is playing.
Here’s Sabreena Merchant to bring us home on the retirement of this legend:
“Diana Taurasi was one of one. The slick shooting, killer instinct, and trash talk combined to create the greatest scorer in WNBA history. A winner at every level, Taurasi was voted the GOAT by fans during the W’s 25th anniversary season. Everyone entering the league over the last decade grew up idolizing her, and she leaves behind an unmatched legacy.”
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(Top photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images )
