The Los Angeles Lakers star dropped 60 points as MVP chants were abound.
A name that hasn’t really been at the forefront of the NBA MVP conversation certainly throttled to the front on Thursday night. As Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic went to the free throw line with 14.8 seconds remaining against the Miami Heat, chants started to reverberate of “MVP!” for Doncic – by the Heat’s home crowd in Kaseya Center. Making one of the two shots, Doncic recorded his third career game of 60-plus points and became the highest scoring opponent against Miami, beating a mark set by James Harden with 58 points in 2019. In his past eight games, Doncic has had four with 40-plus points.
More impressive, it comes after he scored 40 just one night prior against the Houston Rockets, and in the first of back-to-back appearances by Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, all of whom were listed as questionable prior to the two-game stretch. Doncic was 18-of-30 shooting, and notched seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals – making Doncic’s performance the fifth in league history with 60 points and five steals. He joins pretty elite company in Harden (2019), Allen Iverson (2005), Michael Jordan (1993) and Rick Barry (1974). It certainly was a performance that shot Doncic up, or should, in MVP voters’ eyes as he leads the league in scoring.
Here is the full story from Lakers Roundtable writer Grant Mona on head coach JJ Redick going to bat for Doncic in the MVP conversation.
Redick has been pushing for Doncic to be in the conversation, but Thursday solidified it when he became the first Laker to score 60 points since the late Kobe Bryant’s electric career finale on April 13, 2016.