“From tip-off to the end of the game”: Austin Reaves couldn’t believe Mavericks arena’s “Fire Nico” chants on Luka Doncic’s flawless return

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks - Source: Imagn
NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks - Source: Imagn

Luka Doncic’s trade away from Dallas is still a move that fans continue to criticize the Mavericks front office for. Austin Reaves shared just how furious the supporters were, recalling the atmosphere from the first time the LA Lakers had played in Dallas after the blockbuster deal.

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Speaking on The Young Man and The Three, Reaves revealed that the crowd at American Airlines Center spent the entire game directing chants at Nico Harrison, the Mavs’ general manager.

“I ain't gonna lie, the first game we played in Dallas after that, I will never in my career of basketball, see anything like that,” Reaves said.
“I don't know if it was fire Nico or f**k Nico. I can't remember which one it was. But it was from tip-off to the end of the game, just going crazy.”
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Reaves also explained how he convinced Lakers coach JJ Redick to let Luka Doncic close out the game and deliver a statement against his former team.

“We were up like 10, he (Redick) subbed Luka out. They (Mavs) went on a little run, and I went over to JJ and was like, ‘Hey, look, just put him back in the game, like he's going to win us the game, and he's going to have 50, and this is going to be great for the team’,” Reaves added. “Like everybody wanted it to happen on our team.”
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Luka Doncic came back in and put on a show, finishing with 45 points to match his season high. He also led the team with eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in the Lakers’ 112-97 win on April 9.


Austin Reaves excited to play alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic

During the 2024-25 season, the Lakers’ big three of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves didn't get enough time together to build the kind of chemistry needed to win a championship. However, Reaves is confident the group has what it takes to succeed this year.

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“The eagerness levels are very high,” Reaves said during media day. “I felt like we had good synergy with the three of us last year towards the end of the year, and that’s just basically being thrown in the fire after the trade.
“It was kind of ‘Go play basketball. Go figure it out’ because we didn’t have a lot of time to really mesh that together. But I thought we did a really good job of that, and having this preseason to do just that will be really exciting, and I think that it’ll really help our team a lot.”
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The Lakers have surrounded their star trio with a supporting cast that includes Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and others. The Lakers will be confident of their chances, pushing for a title run.

As of now, their focus is on the preseason. The Lakers begin their six-game stretch against the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Los Angeles Lakers Fan? Check out the latest Lakers depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

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Edited by Bhargav
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