Luka Doncic, ready to face his former team tonight

Just three weeks after the transfer that surprised the world of sport, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Dallas Mavericks tonight .

Doncic's new teammates and coaches say he's ready and eager to face the team that let him go. Doncic was a five-time All-NBA selection as a Mavericks player and led them to this past Finals after winning the scoring title and had hoped to spend the rest of his career in Dallas.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Every day he’s been with us, he’s become a little bit more normal. I’ve been there. The first time you play against your old team, particularly after such a short time, it’s weird. But he’ll be able to handle it.”

February brought major events to Doncic's life in a flash, so the speed with which this monumental matchup arrived on the Lakers' schedule is just another challenge for the Slovenian superstar. Aside from the trade tumult, Doncic is also working to get back to top form after missing six and a half weeks due to a calf strain.

Doncic declined to speak to reporters after the Lakers' practice yesterday, which ended with him hitting a half-court shot following a three-point shooting drill with Dorian Finney-Smith, his former Dallas teammate.

“I think he’s going to be excited, but everyone in the locker room is excited,” Finney-Smith said. “We’re with him. It’s going to be a close game. I know (Mavs coach Jason) Kidd is going to have them ready to come in here and compete, so we just have to match his intensity.”

Unfortunately, this matchup will not feature the two stars who were involved in the bombshell trade.

Anthony Davis, who teamed with LeBron James to lead the Lakers to a championship in 2020, will be out at least two more weeks due to a groin injury he suffered in his first game with the Mavs.