Tuesday night was filled with anticipation as the Mavericks traveled to Los Angeles to face the Lakers. What made it even more special was that it was supposed to be Luka Doncic‘s revenge game against his former franchise. So, media outlets were buzzing, covering every detail of the game. But just when everyone was glued to their screens, Fox’s usual cast had a notable absence on the Speak show.

Fox’s host, Joy Taylor, wasn’t spotted in the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday episodes of the show. During her absence, Keyshawn Johnson and Paul Pierce stepped in to fill her role.

Pierce acknowledged her absence on air, explaining that Taylor was simply out for the day. Fox, however, has not provided further details regarding her return.

Despite the lineup change, Speak continued with full coverage of Luka Doncic’s much-discussed game against the Mavericks.

Fox analyst shares view on Luka Doncic and his chemistry with LeBron James

The win was much needed for Doncic after his bitter split with the Mavs. And that’s exactly what he got, finishing the game with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists and a 107-99 win. After his performance, Pierce shared with Fox’s Speak cast about the Slovenian’s impact in the Purple and Gold, as well as his growing chemistry with LeBron James.

The 47-year-old, with nearly two decades of experience in the league, understood what Doncic was feeling, the whirlwind of emotions he was going through. After all, Doncic must have believed he would stay with the franchise that drafted him and had been a part of for so long. So, when asked about what he saw from Luka in the showdown, Pierce replied, “He didn’t show me anything that I didn’t already know.”

Going into more details, ‘The Truth’ stated, “He’s a guy that when his shot is not falling, he still can have an impact on the gang, and that’s a beautiful thing ’cause he shows you, with his pass, his beautiful passing, I mean, this is getting scary… The way he rebounds the ball and some of those passes that he’s making to Austin Reaves and LeBron, and the rest of these guys, I mean, this is starting to turn into something scary.”

Pierce also shed light on how quickly Doncic and LeBron clicked on the court. “Usually you don’t get chemistry right away when a trade happens of this caliber… It usually takes some time. It’s looking already right now, as of yesterday and the last week that they figured something out, and it looks good.”

Now, all that’s left to see is whether this new chemistry can translate into something fruitful for the Lakers and help LeBron secure his fifth championship title.