"Mav for life" -  Dirk Nowitzki makes feelings known on supporting Luka Doncic during Lakers debut

Monday night will be a memorable night for basketball as Luka Doncic makes his debut for the LA Lakers after last week's blockbuster trade. LA sent five-time All-NBA forward Anthony Davis and third-year guard Max Christie to Dallas, along with a first-round pick in exchange for Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

The trade shocked the NBA universe and caused an uproar from Mavericks fans, who went as far as protesting outside American Airlines Arena after the team moved Doncic. The trade also caught Dallas Mavericks legend and NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki by surprise, who had passed the torch to Doncic during the five-time All-Star's rookie season in 2018-19.

Ahead of Doncic's debut on Monday night, Nowitzki, though, took to X to show his support for his former teammate.

"I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 @luka7doncic in the first game of his new chapter!"

Nowitzki shared that he would join the 20,000 in attendance for Doncic's Lakers debut versus Utah on Monday. After tip-off, it didn't take long for fans to catch the first glimpse of Luka Doncic getting a bucket in his LA threads.

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Luka Doncic scores first points as a Laker

Eight days after being moved from Dallas to LA, Luka Doncic made his Lakers debut, suiting up alongside LeBron James after the pair had missed the last two games. The Lakers enter Monday's matchup in fifth place in the Western Conference, trailing the Houston Rockets.

Nearly four minutes into the contest, Doncic notched up his first points in a Lakers uniform. Coming off a pick at the top of the key, Doncic drew a mismatch on Lauri Markkanen.

Doncic hesitated, stepped back and connected on a 26-foot 3-pointer, his first points in over a month. The Lakers' newest addition helped his team get out to a 72-47 lead, posting 11 points, three rebounds and three assist in his first half of action in LA.

Fellow stars Austin Reaves and LeBron James combined for 28 first-half points, with Reaves posting 15 points and seven rebounds, while James pured in 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. In their first matchup with their new-look core, LA is looking dominant early.