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Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77, reacts to a referee’s call in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Friday, March 27, 2026. For the second time in less than a week, Luka Doncic faces a one-game suspension because of technical foul accumulation. Doncic finished with 41 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win.
Slovenian guard Luka Doncic clinched his second career scoring title on Tuesday night with a 42-point masterpiece against the Cleveland Cavaliers, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to their 50th win of the season.
Yet, Doncic is widely expected to finish behind Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and San Antonio Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama in the MVP ballot.
Per Overtime’s Kieran, Doncic is set to become the first player in NBA history to clinch two scoring titles on 50-winning teams and yet not win the Michael Jordan Trophy.
Luka Doncic MVP Hopes Dead?
“Luka Doncic is set to be the only player in NBA HISTORY to win a Scoring title MULTIPLE TIMES on 50 win teams and not win MVP,” wrote the historian.
“The only other player in the modern era to win a scoring title on a 50+ win team and never win MVP was Carmelo Anthony.
“Carmelo wasn’t TOP 25 in any other statistical category that season other than 3PM.
“Luka was TOP 5 in 3PM and assists AS WELL as being TOP 10 in steals and top 25 in rebounds in BOTH SEASONS he won the scoring title.”
As Kieran alluded to, Doncic was in a similar spot a few years ago. In 2023-24, he led the league in scoring (33.9 points) on a Dallas Mavericks team that finished with a 50-32 record. He finished third in the MVP race behind Nikola Jokic and SGA.
Lakers Prepare for Playoffs
Doncic averaged a staggering 37.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists in March, while leading the Lakers to a 14-2 record in the month.
Per StatuMuse, Doncic became the first player ever to record 500+ points, 35+ steals and 50+ threes in a month.
Despite Doncic’s stunning month, some voters, like Rachel Nichols, have refused to name him their MVP front-runner.
“Is he the top contender for MVP right now? No, he is not,” Nichols said. “Is it because you do have to play both sides of the ball for all eight months of the season? Yes, it is.”
“I mean, he has definitely been improving. Luka is not the defensive liability that people think he is once he gets to the playoffs… It is a full-season award, and it is for both sides of the ball. So, am I going to vote him my number one for MVP? No,” she added.
The Lakers (50-32) will next travel to the Oklahoma City Thunder (60-16) for a blockbuster clash on Thursday night. If Luka Doncic delivers another big performance — in a win — the voters might have to rethink their stance.
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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