The ticket prices for Los Angeles Lakers newest star Luka Doncic‘s much-anticipated first game against his old team have surged to astronomical levels.
Doncic will face the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since the blockbuster trade on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Crypto.com arena.
According to TickPick, the current “get-in” price for the game is $209 – 117% more expensive than the “get-in” price before the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers ($96).
Former Lakers star Anthony Davis, the headliner of the Doncic return package, will be in street clothes with a left adductor strain.
A TickPick representative also told Heavy that the average purchase price of all sales following the trade is $526, which is 54% more expensive than the average purchase price before the trade ($340).
The average purchase price for all Lakers games (both home and away) increased 15% following the trade ($260 to $299), with the average purchase price of their home games increasing 19% ($254 to $303).
Doncic is coming off his best game in a Lakers uniform, scoring a game-high 32 points on 10-of-22 shooting and four 3-pointers in their 123-100 rout of the Denver Nuggets to snap a nine-game losing skid to the 2023 NBA champions.
The 25-year-old Slovenian star added 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a sensational performance.
On the other hand, the Mavericks are coming off a deflating 126-102 blowout loss to the surging Golden State Warriors on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Max Christie, who was also part of the Doncic-Davis trade, has seized the opportunity in Dallas. He is averaging 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals for the Mavericks. But he only had two points on 1-of-5 shooting against Golden State.
Luka Doncic Talks Big After Best Lakers Game
After Doncic’s breakout game for the Lakers, he talked big about bringing a championship to the city of Los Angeles that embraced him.
“I think our goal is,” Doncic initially said, then quickly corrected himself, “Not I think, I know our goal is to win a championship. That’s our only goal. And I think we have the team for that.”
It was only Doncic’s fourth game since joining the trade and the calf injury that sidelined him since Christmas.
“That’s the Luka that we’re all accustomed to and have been watching over the last seven years especially, that left side of the floor with his step back going in,” LeBron James told reporters after the win. “Pretty damn dangerous and big-time game from him tonight.”
JJ Redick’s ‘Blackout’ Pep Talk
Doncic let out a scream after hitting a step-back 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of Nuggets wing Christian Braun for a 21-point Lakers lead near the end of the first half.
“He was super dialed in,” James said of Doncic. “He was very locked in on what he wanted to do out here on the floor tonight. Once he started hitting those step-back 3s and got to yelling and barking, either at the fans or at us, or himself.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick lit up the competitive fire under Doncic’s belly with a pep talk.
“I want at least one blackout episode where he’s screaming indiscriminately at no one in particular because he’s excited,” Redick told reporters before the game. “That means he’s back. That’s the Luka I know. The killer.”