Luka Doncic Bolsters MVP Case with Latest Accolade
April 1, 2024
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Dallas Mavericks All-Star combo guard Luka Doncic has been honored as the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week, the league has announced via its official X account. Atlanta Hawks combo guard Dejounte Murray, meanwhile, has been honored the East’s Player of the Week during Week 23.
Across a 4-0 week for the ascendant Mavs, Doncic averaged 32.5 points, 11 rebounds and 9.5 assists a night. Over the year, the 6’7″ vet is logging averages of 34 points on .489/.380/.782 shooting splits, 9.8 assists, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per bout.
The five-time All-Star is now leading the league in the tally of these weekly POTW honors, with four to his name. He won two in February, en route to a Player of the Month accolade. Doncic beat out Houston Rockets shooting guard Jalen Green, Los Angeles Lakers All-Star small forward LeBron James, and rookie San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.
Doncic’s prolific output of late, combined with his team’s winning ways recently, has helped improve his candidacy for league MVP honors this year. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, the reigning Finals MVP and a two-time regular season MVP already, has emerged as the odds-on favorite to win.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks protects the ball from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half of the game at American Airlines Center on October 29, 2022 in… Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks protects the ball from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half of the game at American Airlines Center on October 29, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. The two All-Stars are in the thick of a tough MVP race, but they’re far behind the expected favorite.
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Per DraftKings, Jokic has -700 odds to nab the accolade, followed by Doncic (+500), Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+2000), and Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics All-NBA forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum (+10000 odds apiece).
Doncic’s excellent play, combined with the efforts of nine-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and the team’s rim-running new center Daniel Gafford, has helped propel Dallas to its current league-leading run of seven straight wins. The club has won nine of its last ten contests.
At a 45-29 overall record so far, Dallas is currently the fifth overall seed in the competitive Western Conference. The Mavericks are tied with the New Orleans Pelicans by record but possess the tiebreaker edge. The team is just two contests behind the slipping LA Clippers, who are 47-27 at present. There’s a decent chance Dallas could surpass the Clips and earn homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It’s a remarkable improvement over the team’s disappointing 2022-23 season finish. The Mavericks finished with a 38-44 record and the No. 11 overall seed thanks to some final-week tanking.
Doncic, 25, has now played 65 games, which means he’s at least going to qualify for All-NBA honors this season. It seems all but assured that he and Gilgeous-Alexander will be the two guards guaranteed to nab First Team appearances. Should Doncic do so, it’d be his fifth straight.
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