{"id":670167,"date":"2026-03-21T05:14:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T05:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/670167\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T05:14:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T05:14:24","slug":"luka-doncic-is-making-a-case-for-mvp-as-the-lakers-start-to-look-like-real-contenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/670167\/","title":{"rendered":"Luka Doncic is Making a Case for MVP as the Lakers Start to Look Like Real Contenders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lakers<\/a><\/p>\n

\"NBA:Credit: Isabella Frias-Imagn Images <\/p>\n

Luka Doncic just scored 60 points versus the Miami Heat in what was the Lakers\u2019 8th win in a row and their 11th in their last 12 games. They\u2019re 20 games over .500 (45-25) and for now, sit comfortably at the 3rd seed in the west.<\/p>\n

\"NBA:<\/a>Credit: Isabella Frias-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Lakers have started to turn some heads in the basketball world. For a while, the Lakers hadn\u2019t looked like a team that was on their way towards a deep postseason run. They\u2019ve dealt with numerous injuries all year and often times struggled to find consistent stretches of play.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the season, the Lakers would routinely struggle against teams bigger, faster and stronger than them. While that still may be an issue against teams like San Antonio or Oklahoma City, they\u2019re starting to beat those teams with similar archetypes. What we\u2019ve seen from them these last 3 weeks is a whole new ball club, a completely changed demeanor and approach.<\/p>\n

There were also questions about whether or not the Lakers could at the very least beat some of the better teams in the league and they\u2019ve quickly put those conversations to rest. During this 8-game winning streak, they\u2019ve knocked off the Knicks (45-25), the Timberwolves (43-27), the Nuggets (42-28) and the Rockets twice (41-27). They won each of the season series against the Wolves, Nuggets and Rockets, securing the tie breaker over all three of them. Huge victories considering they\u2019re directly competing with those teams in the standings. <\/a><\/p>\n

Luka\u2019s Otherworldly MVP Performances<\/p>\n

Luka Doncic has played great basketball all year, undoubtedly. We acknowledge he\u2019s one of the best players in the world. Yet, he\u2019s somehow managed to unlock a whole other level. During this 8-game winning streak<\/a>, he\u2019s had a 60-point game, a 51-point game, two 40+ point games and four 30+ point games including two triple doubles. He\u2019s also averaging 50% from the field, 42% from three and 6.1 three-pointers a game in these last 8.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not all. On March 19th against the Heat, he broke the Lakers record for most threes in a single season<\/a>, previously held by D\u2019Angelo Russell, and the most 30-point games within the last 20 Laker seasons, according to the Lakers on X. He also knocked down the game winner versus Denver and hit the daggers in Houston and Miami.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Star in Your Role<\/p>\n

Luka has been more than exceptional, but the team as a whole has stepped up and found their connectivity. Marcus Smart has hit big shot after big shot down the stretch of games and shows consistent effort every single night. Austin Reaves can drop 25-30 points at any given time. LeBron James has openly embraced his role as the third guy on the team<\/a> and is absolutely thriving. Whether it\u2019s facilitating, diving for a loose ball, rebounding, defending, etc.<\/p>\n

James on March 18th in Houston dropped 30 points on just 1 missed shot<\/a>, 13-14 from the floor. He followed that performance up with a triple double the next night in Miami, including 15 huge rebounds. Deandre Ayton has recently been open and honest about accepting his role on this team and doing whatever is needed from him.<\/p>\n

From reporter Benjamin Royer<\/a> of the O.C. Register, Austin Reaves talked about LeBron\u2019s leadership and how the three of him, LeBron and Luka could\u2019ve sat out against Miami<\/a> on the second night of a back-to-back after landing at 5 am.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember there was a timeout and JJ came over and said, \u2018I know y\u2019all are tired.\u2019 and LeBron was like \u2018I\u2019m not tired.\u2019 So, I was like \u2018I\u2019m not tired.\u2019 So yeah, follow the leader. When [LeBron] said he was playing, I couldn\u2019t let a 41-year-old play and I don\u2019t.\u201c<\/p>\n

The Lakers have found their identity and are cruising at the right time, hopefully swinging this momentum into the playoffs. With 12 games left in the regular season, they look to hit the 50-win mark for the second year in a row, the first time the franchise has achieved that feat since 2009 and 2010. <\/p>\n

\"avatar\"Hello there! I’m Tyler. Basketball has been a passion of mine since I was a small kid and I’ve … More about Tyler Bazan<\/a> Tags: Austin Reaves<\/a> Denver Nuggets<\/a> Houston Rockets<\/a> jj redick<\/a> Lakers<\/a> LeBron James<\/a> Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> luka doncic<\/a> Miami Heat<\/a> minnesota timberwolves<\/a> nba<\/a> nba 2025-2026 regular season<\/a> NBA Playoffs<\/a> nba postseason<\/a> nba regular season<\/a> NBA Western Conference<\/a> New York Knicks<\/a> Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> San Antonio Spurs<\/a> <\/p>\n

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