After the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have combined for two of the best games so far in the early season, the NBA decided that they will no longer make the mistake of having another showdown between LeBron James and Luka Doncic live in the obscurity of NBA League Pass.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that they have flexed the Sunday, Dec. 29 game between the Lakers and Mavericks to ESPN. The game, which was scheduled to be played at 5:30 p.m. local time will now tip-off at 6:30 p.m. local time to accommodate the national television audience.
The Lakers won the first game against the Mavericks back on Nov. 1, a 119-110 overtime thriller. But Luka Doncic and the Mavs exacted some revenge on the Lakers on Dec. 1, snapping L.A.’s 10-game win-streak at the time.
Even though Luka Doncic is currently nursing an ankle injury, the Mavericks notched perhaps an even bigger win last night as they snapped the 18-game win-streak of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. Doncic suffered the injury on Dec. 14 and was given a two-week timeline, which means he should be ready to return for another showdown with LeBron.