Luka Doncic shares candid message for former teammate Jalen Brunson during jersey swap after beating him in thrilling duel 

Following the intense battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks on Thursday, Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson shared brotherly love as they swapped their jerseys. As shown in a video shared by NBA's social media, the former Dallas Mavericks teammates also shared candid messages written on their jerseys for each other.

"LD, my brother for life. Always. Love," Brunson wrote on his jersey for Doncic.

"To my Brother JB! Love!" Doncic wrote on his jersey for Brunson.

Thursday's game concluded with a thrilling 113-109 overtime win for the LA Lakers at home. They rallied from a double-digit deficit against the NY Knicks in the fourth to tie the game at 99 each before sealing the deal in overtime.

Luka Doncic led the Lakers' victory charge with his double-double performance of 32 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks losing effort with his double-double of 39 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.

Jalen Brunson leaves no doubt about Luka Doncic's special influence on Dallas fans

On a February episode of his podcast "The Roommates Show", Brunson shared his thoughts on the Dallas Mavericks' shocking decision to trade Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Reflecting on the time they played together in Dallas, the Knicks star highlighted the special connection Mavericks fans had with Doncic.

"I feel like the Mavs fans have invested their heart and soul into Luka," Brunson said.

"Since day one, when Luka got there, that's the guy. Everyone was like Luka's the man, this is what we're gonna do for him, surround him in the city with love and respect," he added.

Brunson also cited an example of a fan who tweeted that it doesn't matter if the Mavericks win or not, as they're not emotionally invested anymore.

Following Luka Doncic's trade, the Mavericks have witnessed a string of unfortunate events which may have completely depleted their chances of being a championship contender team this season. Anthony Davis suffered a season-ending injury during his debut game with the Mavericks while Kyrie Irving's season came to an end as he tore his ACL during the Mavs' matchup on Monday.

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic has been a great fit with the LA Lakers as they climbed to the second spot in the Western Conference riding an eight-game winning streak to a 39-21 record. Despite a slow start, Doncic is beginning to play like his prime self and is averaging 23.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.9 steals across the 10 games he's played with the Lakers so far.