Luka Doncic scored 31 of his 45 points in the first half of his highly anticipated Dallas homecoming as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers locked up a playoff spot with a 112-97 win against the Mavericks.

Doncic’s 46th career 40-point game on Wednesday was complemented by eight rebounds and six assists while connecting on 16-of-28 from the floor and seven-of-10 on three-pointers.

LeBron James posted 27 points and seven boards, and Rui Hachimura added 15 points as the Lakers (49-31) bolstered their grip on the third spot in the Western Conference.

Naji Marshall contributed 23 points and eight assists for Dallas, PJ Washington scored 14, and Anthony Davis – in his first game for Dallas against his old side – finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Doncic, traded from Dallas to Los Angeles for Davis as part of a blockbuster deal on February 2, became emotional during a pregame video tribute, before receiving a deafening applause when his name was called during the starting lineup announcements.

Doncic, who averaged a franchise-record 28.6 points in 422 games for Dallas, received rousing cheers with every possession or score, particularly early.

His 14 first-quarter points were offset by five Los Angeles turnovers, as the Marshall-led Mavericks moved ahead 30-26 at the first break.

Doncic dominated the second period, draining a trio of three-pointers and scoring 17 of his team’s 34 points, as Los Angeles took a 60-57 lead at halftime.

James, who had just eight first-half points as he played second fiddle to Doncic, came alive in the third and helped the Lakers’ cushion balloon to 78-65 before Marshall single-handedly weathered the storm for Dallas and trimmed the gap back to 83-76 with a quarter to play.

Max Christie’s tip-dunk edged the Mavs in front 84-83, but their time ahead was brief as James spearheaded a 9-0 Los Angeles response inside 90 seconds, and the Lakers were never remotely threatened again.

Doncic’s step-back three-pointer and strong drive blew the margin out to 110-94 before the five-time All-NBA First-Team selection was substituted out with 1:34 remaining to a standing ovation.

Both teams play their regular-season home finales on Friday night when the Mavericks take on Toronto, and the Lakers host Houston.