The NBA regular season started months ago. It finally gets interesting on Tuesday night when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Los Angeles Lakers in their first meeting between Luka Doncic and his old team.

The clash couldn’t come soon enough for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and a league enduring a television ratings decline and continuing criticism of its All-Star Game. The negative narrative figures to change now that the league is worthy of attention following one of the biggest trades in sports history.

Tuesday’s game at Crypto.com Arena at Los Angeles is the first time Mr. Doncic will play against Dallas where he became a five-time all-star and led the team to the NBA Finals last season.  A blockbuster trade on February 2 sent Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis to Dallas in exchange for the popular Mr. Doncic, who now teams with LeBron James in the newest version of Showtime.

“Our goal is to win a championship,” Mr. Doncic said in his new Lakers uniform. “That’s our only goal. I think we have the team for that. Obviously, the chemistry with me and the guys is going to take a little time still. But it’s getting better and better.”

His former teammates said they’re looking forward to playing against the old friend. “I expect him to bring his A-game knowing the player he is and the mentality he brings to the game,” Mavericks forward, P.J. Washington said. “I know he’s going to be ready. Obviously, we can’t wait to compete against him.”

Mr. Doncic set a promising tone by scoring 32 points in the Lakers’ 123-100 dismantling of the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. He also grabbed ten rebounds, dealt seven assists, and stole four passes. It was an “ah ha” statement for the rest of the league. “That’s the Luka we’re accustomed to watching the last several years,” Mr. James said.

With Mr. Doncic at Hollywood, the Lakers are a prime-time championship contender again, which is good for the NBA. A trade that sent a disgruntled Jimmy Butler to Golden State to join Steph Curry has Draymond Green making title predictions, and the Mavericks are trying to prove they’re still a championship contender without Mr. Doncic.

The Mavericks (31-27) are 5-4 since the trade.  Mr. Davis has been a virtual non-factor after suffering an adductor injury in his first game with Dallas. He’s expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks.

“I’m pretty much focused on telling my guys just to focus on the high-level game that we’ve got to win,” Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving said. “I would love to get into the emotions after the game, but before the game, it’s just about having fun and making sure we lock in and have a deep focus.”

The match-up should give the NBA a much-needed ratings bonanza. Ratings declined during the early part of the season and the 2025 All-Star Game was the second-lowest watched ever, attracting an average of 4.7 million viewers. What’s supposed to be a highlight of mid-season was overshadowed by the NHL 4 Nation’s Face-off which captivated sports fans in Canada and America. The thrilling championship game won 3-2 by Canada in overtime drew the largest audience ever for a hockey game on ESPN with 10.4 million at its peak.

The Lakers (34-21) are 6-2 since the trade and looking more dangerous every time they play. “We can be a really good transition team when we get stops, deflections, and steals,” Lakers coach J.J. Reddick said. “Luka with an advantage and LeBron streaking down the sideline, I feel something good is going to happen with that.”

Dallas fans have been particularly unhappy with the deal that shipped their beloved Mr. Doncic to Los Angeles. Some fans protested by bringing a Mavericks-themed coffin to a recent home game. Several other fans were ejected from a game for waving signs demanding Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison be fired.  Mr. Harrison also received death threats, per ESPN.

 Whispers from the front office about Mr. Doncic’s poor diet and conditioning habits didn’t quiet the complaints. Perhaps Tuesday’s game will offer some closer for the Mavericks and new beginnings for the league.

“We miss him,” Mr. Washington said. “At the end of the day, he’s our brother and we’re always going to love him. But we’ve got to go out there and compete against him. I think it’s going to be a big game for us.”

And a much-needed lift for the NBA.