NBA preseason: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks fall to Real Madrid / News - Basketnews.com

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic returned to Spain for an NBA exhibition game against his former team, Real Madrid, but left the WiZink Center as a member of the losing squad.

Credit: REUTERS - Scanpix Credit REUTERS - Scanpix

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic returned to Spain and received a warm home welcome when he faced his former team, Real Madrid, for the first time in an exhibition game on Tuesday at the packed WiZink Center.

Real Madrid / Schedule

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Real Madrid77-79 Anadolu Efes Istanbul Real MadridThu17:30 Real Madrid Zalgiris Kaunas10-1718:45

Despite the huge hype around Luka, his minuteswere restricted in this game due to a left calf strain. In addition, the matchup was tinged with the absence of another NBA megastar, Kyrie Irving.

These missing pieces resulted in the Mavs' 127-123 loss against Real despite having a 12-point fourth-quarter lead.

Real Madrid's victory improved their record to 3-6 in games against NBA teams.

Their previous victory against an NBA opponent dates back to 2016 when they triumphed over the Oklahoma City Thunder in an overtime thriller, with a 17-year-old Doncic playing a role in that memorable win.

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Doncic joined Real at the age of 13 and went on to win the 2018 EuroLeague and Spanish league double. At just 19, he etched his name in history as the youngest MVP in both prestigious competitions before leaving for the NBA.

No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Doncic signed for the Mavs, where he continues to display his tremendous talent.

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Real Madrid 127-123 Dallas Mavericks

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