Luka dazzles in return to Dallas as NBA teams gear up for the playoffs

The NBA regular season has given us a slew of big moments this season, and even more drama off the court

Now the league's gearing up for its showcase event, the playoffs. As a tease, Wednesday night, Luka Doncic made his return to Dallas

The Mavs stunned the sports world two months ago when they traded Doncic to the Lakers

and before the game there were many tears as the Slovenian star watched a video tribute covering his seven years in Big D

Then he shook off the emotions and dropped a season-high 45 points on his old team

to help the Lakers clinch a playoff spot as one of the top seeds in the Western Conference

Luka credited his teammates with helping him through the transition. That's what we talked about before the game, and everybody had my back, from coaches to players

And, you know, we're trying to build something special here, and that was really, really nice to see

Lights turn on. He's teary-eyed still as we walk out on the court for the tip ball

to have the emotional resolve to then go put on that kind of performance, it's superhuman

So the Lakers are in the playoffs and could lock up a three seed with a win in their final two games

The top six seeds, including the team with the best record in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder

will have a week off while the play-in tournament takes place. Here's a look at the team's jockeying for position in the bottom half of the Western Conference

All these teams are in the playoffs including Dallas despite their loss to the Lakers The Warriors suffered a tough loss Wednesday night The Grizzlies and Timberwolves play a big game Thursday that could reshuffle things

Avoiding that play in tournament is crucial for making a deep run, as veteran teams like Golden State well know

We're already in the playoffs, you know, and so this is what the playoffs feel like

A lot of pressure, a lot on the line, tough losses. And so the only thing you can do is you pick up your chin off the floor and you get back at it

In the East, the top seed Cleveland Cavaliers and the defending champion Boston Celtics are on a collision course

But the rest of the teams in the conference are fighting for position, including the Knicks and Pacers, who are at 3-4 in the standings

The Bucks and Pistons could still move up as well, but they can't move down

so that's a relief for those teams. The Magic are locked in at number 7, so they await their play-in tournament opponent

Spots 8, 9, and 10 could still see a shake-up in position in the last few days

A team that loses once in the play-in round is still alive

but lose twice and it's time to go fishing. That play-in tournament begins Tuesday and wraps up in just a few days

so it's a whirlwind. After that, we'll see some of the best in the game start their quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy

The Celtics are trying to become the first team in 12 years to go back-to-back

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis