More importantly, his play has elevated the Lakers. They’ve gone 16-2 over the last 18 games since Feb. 28, moving ahead of the Rockets, Nuggets and Timberwolves for third in the West. In that span, Doncic had a 51-point game, a 60-point game and at least seven games of 40 points, including his last three.<\/p>\n
The Lakers have also been the most clutch team in the NBA, going 22-7 in close games behind a league-best net rating in clutch time. No player has been better in those moments than Doncic.<\/p>\n
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With only six games left, there isn’t much time for Doncic to continue padding his resume. So, it might be a case of too little too late. But his league-leading 33.8 scoring average didn’t come from one month alone. He’s been balling all season. That it’s now helping the Lakers overachieve should be taken into consideration when the ballots are tallied.<\/p>\n
Amar’e Stoudemire is a Hall of Famer![\"Amar'e](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/e03252a630792fc18e0e717abf803d55.jpeg\"\/)
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Amar’e Stoudemire made it.<\/p>\n
Amar’e Stoudemire, Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Doc Rivers are all being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the Class of 2026, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported<\/a> Tuesday. And of all the names listed there, Stoudemire is the one I’m most surprised about.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Stoudemire was no doubt a monster in his prime, but that prime was extremely short. He really only played five seasons of great, healthy basketball. Which is where my shock comes in.<\/p>\n He did come away with five All-NBA nods to go with Rookie of the Year honors and six all-star selections, so you’ll never catch me saying he wasn’t a great player. But if his selection is considered to be controversial, the short period of his greatness is why.<\/p>\n Regardless, this is a huge honor for Stoudemire. Congrats to him, Delle Donne, Parker and Rivers.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Shootaround<\/p>\n This was Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter.\u00a0Subscribe here<\/a>\u00a0to get it\u00a0delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.<\/p>\n