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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action during the first quarter of the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey had a lot of praise for Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic during his appearance on the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon.
When asked to name his “Avengers” starting lineup of NBA superstars, the Philadelphia 76ers guard compared Doncic to Thor, citing the Slovenian’s ability to wield magical powers with the basketball in his hands.
“They call him Luka Magic for a reason,” Maxey said on Tuesday night.
“Only he can do some of the things, and Thor was the same way. Only Thor can do those things — he’s magical. And that’s how I feel about Luka. He’s a great basketball player and a great person as well.”
Maxey proceeded to compare himself or Donovan Mitchell to Spider-Man, reigning NBA MVP Shail Gilgeous-Alexander to Iron Man, Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart to Hulk and Lakers veteran LeBron James to Captain America.
Luka Doncic MVP Case
With just 10 games left in the regular season, Doncic remains locked in a three-player battle for the MVP award with SGA and Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama.
On the latest KIA NBA MVP Ladder, Doncic ranked No. 2 behind SGA after he made history by becoming the first player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in nine consecutive wins. Veteran writer Shaun Powell explained why Doncic had jumped from No. 4 to No. 2 within a week, displacing Wemby and Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic.
“These last two scorching weeks by Doncic can compare with the best two weeks this season of anyone on the list,” wrote Powell. And his might be better if you apply the context — against quality teams (Knicks, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Heat, Rockets twice) and as the Lakers attempt to lock in a top-four seed and home-court advantage for the playoffs. In that span he has a 60-pointer, a 50-pointer, a 41-pointer, 31- and 30-point triple-doubles and big shots to help the Lakers win 11 of their last 12 games.
“Oh — and defense! Doncic has leveled up on that side of the floor. They don’t have this late success without him sprucing that part of his game. This combination is contributing to his generous leap on the ladder.”
Lakers in Seeding Battle
The Lakers (46-26) hold a 1.5-game lead over the Nuggets (45-28) for the third seed in the East, but are in a strong position entering the final 10 games of the season.
JJ Redick’s team will play six of its last 10 games at home, but only four of those opponents have a record better than .500. The Lakers will face tanking teams like the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards over their next three games, before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic can try and make a stronger case for MVP when the Lakers face the Thunder on April 2 and then again on April 7. If Doncic can lead the Lakers to wins in both games — while outperforming SGA — he could potentially ascend to the top of the MVP ladder.
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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