Lakers’ Luka Doncic Forces Stephen A. Smith Into Stunning MVP Admission

Star guard Luka Doncic has the Los Angeles Lakers rolling as the NBA’s hottest team in the last couple of weeks behind his stellar play.

Doncic is coming off posting a season-high 60 points in the 134-126 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night, tying his second-highest single-game scoring performance and most since joining the Lakers.

Stephen A. Smith Changes Tune on Luka Doncic Amid Lakers’ Hot Streak

The six-time All-Star’s latest outing also made longtime ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith admit that he is “ashamed” that he has left Doncic out of the MVP conversation up to this point.

“I’m ashamed I haven’t brought up Luka for league MVP considerations sooner than this morning. That ends now,” Smith said. “That gets corrected now. Luka Doncic has been sensational, and the Lakers have been incredibly impressive. On their eight-game winning streak, he’s scored over 30 in each one of those games.

“He’s scored 100 over the last two games. I’m looking at the breakdown, and he shot 43% in the first quarter, 57% in the second quarter, 60% in the third quarter, and, of his 20 points, it was on 83% shooting in the fourth quarter. The brother is just doing his thing.”

Doncic is more than just doing his thing, as he’s playing at an unmatched level during the Lakers’ current eight-game winning streak, which has elevated the team to the third seed in the Western Conference standings.

Over this span, he’s averaging 40.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.4 steals while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from beyond the arc in 37.5 minutes per game.

Doncic has taken his play to the next level, as he’s notched 30 or more points in each of the last eight games, including scoring 50 or more twice in the last five contests. He has led the NBA in scoring for most of the season, as he’s currently averaging a league-best 33.4 points.

The 27-year-old has been playing at an MVP-caliber level throughout this campaign, but it’s other players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama who have garnered more attention in the conversation due to their respective teams’ success.

Gilgeous-Alexander has helped guide the Thunder to the league’s best record. At the same time, Wembanyama has been the anchor to the Spurs’ tremendous turnaround this season making them a legitimate top team in the NBA.

As the regular season reaches its final stretch, it should be a tight race for the MVP award.

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