I wanted to see Luka versus LeBron in person, so I circled the December 15th matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers on the calendar when the season started. I waited until a few days before the game to make sure LeBron was playing. He’s been nicked up all season, after all.
But it turned out Luka was the one who would miss the game. I was bummed that I’d miss out on what’s become a fun little rivalry. The basketball gods, though, had other plans. This Lakers-Mavericks game went from a Wednesday night slog to a hoops rollercoaster within a few hours.