Getty
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 believes he has done everything humanly possible to secure his first NBA MVP award this season, even as voters seem to favor Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and San Antonio Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama over the Los Angeles Lakers star.
After dropping 41points in the Lakers’ 119-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Doncic called out the NBA MVP voters for not viewing him as the favorite.
“Yeah, hopefully, but the better I play, the more I go down in ratings,” Doncic said in Spanish when asked if he was confident about winning MVP.
“So I don’t know what more I can do,” added the Lakers star.
Luka Doncic Drops in NBA MVP Ladder
Doncic was referencing the latest KIA NBA MVP Ladder, in which he ranked No. 4 behind SGA, Wembanyama and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
The Slovenian star is averaging an NBA-high 33.6 points to go with 7.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. In March, he has averaged a staggering 36.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals on efficent 48/38/77 shooting splits. Most importantly, he has led the Lakers to a 12-2 record in 14 games this month.
NBA.com’s Shaun Powell explained why it was a tough call to drop Doncic to fourth on the latest KIA NBA MVP Ladder, amid his scorching run.
“The league’s leading scorer is nearly averaging a triple-double and is ripping through a torrid March with games of 60 points, 50 points, and three with 40 points,” wrote Powell while making a case for Doncic to win NBA MVP.
“He’s averaging 39.5 over his last 11 games. Also, he has elevated the Lakers to a lofty spot in the West and potential home-court advantage at least in the first round of the playoffs.
Luka Doncic Faces 1-Game Suspension
The Lakers star’s chances to win MVP took another hit Friday when he picked up his 16th technical foul of the season. The incident occurred with 5:12 left in the third quarter, when he and Nets forward Ziaire Williams got into a tussle after the referees called an offensive foul on Doncic. Per video replays, Doncic seemed to push Williams, who retaliated by swiping back at the Lakers star’s face.
While it seems unlikely that the NBA will rescind Doncic’s tech, the Lakers star is hopeful he won’t be suspended for Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards.
“[Williams] was yelling in my face — three times,” Doncic said after the game, 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.”
It’s unknown if the Lakers plan to appeal the tech, like they did last weekend after Doncic got into a verbal spat with Orlando Magic’s Goga Bitadze. The NBA rescinded the techs on Doncic and Bitadze after a successful appeal by the Lakers. The positive factor is they will play the lowly Wizards, who’ve lost nine of their last 10 games.
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
More Heavy on Lakers
Loading more stories