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Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
After watching his backcourt partner, Luka Doncic, drop 30 or more points for a 12th consecutive game on Friday, Austin Reaves said the quiet part out loud about the ongoing NBA MVP narrative, claiming that it’s “insane” that his Los Angeles Lakers teammate isn’t leading the race.
“He continues to drop in the MVP race, which is insane to me,” Reaves said Friday night after the Lakers’ 116-91 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
“I guess it don’t really matter, maybe he’s gotta score 60, I don’t know.”
Reaves was referencing Doncic dropping from No. 2 to No. 4 on the latest KIA NBA MVP Ladder, even while averaging astronomical offensive numbers in March, while leading the Lakers to a 12-2 record.
Luka Doncic MVP Case
Doncic ranked second behind Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP Ladder released on March 20, only to fall two spots within a week. During said week, he averaged 42.0 points while leading the Lakers to a 3-1 record.
After dropping another 41 points on Friday, Doncic asked the NBA MVP voters what more he had to do to be seen as a legitimate candidate.
“The better I play, the more I go down in ratings,” Doncic said in Spanish.
“So I don’t know what more I can do,” added the Lakers star.
Lakers Enter Final Stretch
Much like NBA.com’s Shaun Powell — who dropped Doncic to No. 4 in the MVP Ladder — several voters and analysts don’t view the Lakers star as as a top-two candidate.
“I think it’s Jaylen Brown one, I think it’s SGA two, and I think it’s Victor three,” ESPN’s Michael Wilbon said recently.
“And then don’t talk to me about a guy who plays half the court, Luka Doncic.”
Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas also doesn’t view Doncic as MVP material.
“To me, right now, there’s only two guys that you can really say is the most valuable to their team… and that’s Wemby and Jaylen Brown,” Thomas told FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back” on Thursday.
Doncic’s chances to win MVP may have taken another hit Friday when he picked up his 16th technical foul of the season, earning an automatic suspension for Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards. For the Lakers, the loss of Doncic shouldn’t hurt against the lowly Wizards, who’ve lost nine of their last 10 games.
“[Williams] was yelling in my face — three times,” Doncic said after the win against Brooklyn, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I just wanted to get out of there. It’s a double tech, of course. What can I say? I didn’t even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. And they said I pushed, my push was ‘exaggerated,’ which [it] was obviously not. And I don’t know what else to tell you.”
After Monday’s clash against the Wizards, the Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday before an away game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Doncic will get a huge opportunity to prove his MVP case going up against SGA, the odds-on favorite to capture his second consecutive Michael Jordan Trophy.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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