He looked like his old self. He didn't miss a beat. For that to be his first game, I felt him on both ends of the floor. ... He was fantastic. Really proud of him and just happy for him to embrace this moment.
The Lakers closed the game on a 29-8 run from there, with Doncic thwarting his former coach, Jason Kidd's scheme to attack him on defense when the Mavs had the ball. "We counted after the game, he had six straight stops where they targeted him," Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Doncic. "Just a fantastic job from him. Then [he] makes the game-sealing defensive play with the charge on [Naji] Marshall."
But after going down big early, an energized lineup rallied for a much-needed 134-117 victory thanks to a relentless 21-0 run to begin the second quarter. Steph Curry scored 29, while Jimmy Butler put in 18 and dished out seven assists. Gary Payton II, starting at power forward, had his best game of the season: Nine points, six rebounds and a career-high eight assists. And the Jazz's vaunted size advantage? It never materialized. The Warriors outrebounded Utah 48-47.
