Luka vs. LeBron: Mavs to Face Lakers in Dallas on Christmas Day
Luka vs. LeBron: Mavs to Face Lakers in Dallas on Christmas Day: The Mavericks are playing their first Christmas Day game at home since the 2011-12 season.
The last time the Dallas Mavericks hosted a Christmas Day game, championship rings were presented and a banner was hoisted into the American Airlines Center rafters… and Jason Kidd was still playing for Dallas, not coaching.
Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks defeated LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, and the league planned a rematch on Christmas Eve following a two-month impasse due to CBA negotiations. Miami won 105-94 in a game that wasn’t quite as close as the final score may suggest.
Eleven years later, Dallas will host another Christmas Day game, and sure, James will be there once more. This will be a star-studded duel that fans will not want to miss.
According to NBA writer Marc Stein, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks will face off against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on December 25.
“According to league sources, the initial draft of next season’s NBA schedule features the Lakers at Dallas/LeBron at Luka on Christmas Day,” Stein tweeted. “Changes are still conceivable until the final schedule is released next week, although Christmas games often remain.”
Since the 2011 championship, James’ teams have had the Mavs’ number, but the Mavs have gone 4-2 versus the Lakers in the previous two seasons. Two of the three meetings between the Mavericks and Lakers last season were decided by five points or less.
On December 15, in Dallas, the Lakers defeated Doncic in overtime, 107-104. Doncic, on the other hand, got his vengeance in Los Angeles on March 1, when he chased James down the line en way to a dramatic 109-104 victory. That game also featured one of the most memorable Mavericks moments of the season, when Doncic soared for a put-back slam over Dwight Howard.
With this news, Christmas has arrived early for Mavericks and Lakers fans this year.