Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers are rolling into Dallas on Saturday, but so is a nasty winter storm that could put the former Maverick's return to American Airlines Center in question.
The Dallas Mavericks are back in the American Airlines Center on Thursday when their three-game win streak meets the Golden State Warriors, who are newly without star guard Jimmy Butler.
Then, Dallas hosts a familiar face in Luka Doncic, who makes his second return to Dallas since becoming a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Also rolling into town? A nasty storm that's expected to bring a wintry mix that spreads across much of the south-central region of the U.S. - with the DFW Metroplex expected to get hit hard.
Saturday's high temperature is just over freezing at 36 degrees, but the steady precipitation will make for dangerous driving conditions.
"The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for this weekend in Dallas-Fort Worth that could include snow, ice and freezing temperatures," reports Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News.
"Freezing precipitation is expected to begin Friday afternoon and could continue through Saturday night."
On Thursday, the Lakers will be in Southern California playing against their cross-town rival LA Clippers. While Dallas airports have begun issuing travel advisories, it's uncertain when the Lakers will make the trip and how much their flight time might be impacted by the weather.
Thankfully basketball is an indoor sport, but questions remain about whether the storm will still have an affect on the game, which happens to be a big one that still-hurting Mavs fans care about.
Says Curtis, "The Mavericks are expected to make every effort to play on Saturday." Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was approached about the possibility of a postponement, but he "didn't want to speak for the [NBA]."
"Oh yeah, that’s out of my pay grade," Kidd said. "We show up rain or shine. It snows on the East Coast. I don’t see them postponing."
Not only would a postponement throw a wrench into the Mavericks' schedule, but it would also affect a major national broadcast, as ABC will be on site covering Doncic's much-anticipated bid for an encore performance.
In his return to the AAC last season, the Slovenian All-Star (now for a sixth time, as announced this week) wiped away tears from an emotional tribute video to calmly drop 45 points on his former team.
Dallas lost the game, but a lot of Mavs fans' throats were sore from cheering for Luka ... or booing the now-fired general manager Nico Harrison who traded the point guard for oft-injured Anthony Davis in February.
Doncic is on pace for another All-NBA season as he's leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game, along with 7.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists. In the Lakers' win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Doncic surpassed Denver's Nikola Jokic with his 52nd career 30-point triple-double, second-most all-time to Oscar Robertson's 106.
Davis will not be active for another five weeks as he heals ligament damage in his hand.
Curtis notes that the NBA has not been afraid of postponing a game due to improper playing conditions, such as on Jan. 8 when a game at the United Center between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls was moved because of moisture build-up on the court pregame.
Last season, the NBA rescheduled 10 games, once in connection to a sever winter storm in Atlanta.
"Mother Nature is going to do what she does," Kidd said about the weather. "We have a job to do and that’s to play the games when they’re scheduled, unless told otherwise."
As for trying to slow down Doncic, maybe a winter storm is the Mavericks' best bet.
