Luka Doncic Excited To Return Home To L.A.

When the Los Angeles Lakers made a shocking blockbuster deal to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in February, many wondered if the Slovenian superstar would be happy moving from Dallas to LA. By all accounts, Doncic was remarkably content in Texas and planned to stay there for a long time. But it didn’t take long for Luca to adjust to the Southern California sun.

Now, the Lakers are off to an incredible start to Doncic’s first full season. They are 12-4 through 16 games, good enough for second place in the Western Conference. But the Lakers have spent a lot of time away from L.A. recently. The Lakers’ last seven games have been on the road, dating back to Nov. 8 in Atlanta. But now, after a win against the Utah Jazz on Sunday night, the Lakers return home where they will play their next four games through December 1st.

And perhaps no one is more excited about it than Doncic. The Lakers star, speaking shortly after the Jazz’s win on Sunday, said he is ready to return to his home in LA, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“I can’t wait. It’s great to be at home. I can go to the beach a lot, get some sun. Playing in front of the home crowd will be amazing, can’t wait for that.”

The Lakers play against the LA Clippers on Tuesday night, then have a chance to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at home before their next action on Friday night against Luka’s former Mavericks. The Lakers then play the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns to complete the home stand before heading east for a three-game trip.

But the biggest story is that Doncic seems very happy to be in LA as a member of the Lakers. It took him less than a year to get used to calling Los Angeles home, where he’s excited to be back. And with a three-year contract, Luka’s future appears to be set in purple and gold.

Luka Doncic praises Maxi Kleber for performance vs. Jazz

Luka Doncic needed to play heavy minutes to help the Lakers win over the Jazz, but he held up some of his unknown teammates.

DeAndre Ayton was ruled out for the second half of the game, forcing head coach JJ Redick to start Jaxson Hayes in his place. However, Redick also decided to dust off Maxi Kleber, who has played very little since being cleared to return.

Kleber missed most of the second half of the 2024-25 season and the playoffs due to a foot injury, so he is working hard to get his basketball rhythm back. He came to the Lakers in the February mega-trade along with Doncic.

After the win over Utah, Doncic praised Kleber for his performance.

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