"Pouring gasoline on an already raging fire in Dallas" - Skip Bayless weighs in on Dirk Nowitzki’s displeasure over Luka Doncic joining Lakers

Tonight, Luka Doncic and the LA Lakers will take on the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since the franchise parted ways with the young star. While the anticipation is high to see Luka Doncic face off against a Mavericks team that he was the face of just months ago, it's no secret that Dallas is heading into the game at less than full strength.

In addition to the absence of Anthony Davis, Dallas is also without Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, leaving their frontcourt with little to no depth. The way Skip Bayless sees things, Dirk Nowitzki's recent comments about Luka leaving the Mavericks is akin to salt in the wound.

During Tuesday's episode of The Skip Bayless Show, the longtime TV personality spoke about the situation, saying that the LA vs Dallas tonight won't be a fair fight, and neither is Dirk vs Dallas:

"This game will not be a fair fight, and neither for now, is Dirk versus the Mavericks. You want to talk about piling on, talk about pouring gasoline on an already raging fire in Dallas. Dirk keeps talking publicly about how down and disappointed Luka is, and how disappointed and sad he Dirk is. Just give me a break, Dirk."

You can see his comments after the 1:10 mark in the video below.

"I know he's gonna be ready" - Fellow ex-Mav said Luka Doncic is excited about tonight's game against Dallas

One player who knows firsthand what it's like playing against their former team after being traded is Dorian Finney-Smith. Back in late December, Finney-Smith was traded to LA as part of a deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Prior to that, Finney-Smith had played alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas, with the two becoming good friends. During the 2022-23 season, however, Finney-Smith was traded to Brooklyn before the trade deadline.

Given that, he knows firsthand what it's like playing against a former team, even if the Mavericks are heading into tonight's clash with some serious holes in their frontcourt.

While speaking with members of the press this week, Finney-Smith was quoted by LakersNation as saying:

“I think he’s gonna be excited. But everybody in the locker room is excited, we got his back. It’s gonna be a hard-fought game, we know Jason Kidd is gonna have them ready to come in and compete.

"We just gotta match their intensity. I’m excited. I know he’s gonna be ready. But I try not to put too much pressure on him. At the end of the day, I know we just want to get the win. If we get the win, I know he’ll be alright."

While Dallas is heading into tonight's spectacle without several of their most important players, LA is fresh off a dominant win over the Denver Nuggets, during which Luka Doncic appeared to find his rhythm.

Although Dirk Nowitzki may not be courtside for tonight's game, he'll likely be in attendance when Luka and the Lakers play the Mavs at American Airlines Center in April.