On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks put on a clinical display against the Washington Wizards, beating them 112-104 to climb to seventh on the Western Conference standings. Dallas has won five games straight and is tied for the longest active winning streak in the NBA alongside the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.
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The key to their success has, unsurprisingly, been Luka Doncic‘s terrific form. He has averaged 30.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 11.6 assists per game during the Mavericks’ five-game winning streak. The Mavericks will play for the final time on Wednesday before Doncic heads to Indiana for the 2024 All-Star game. However, they could rest their superstar guard in their game against the Detroit Pistons.
Doncic suffered a nasal contusion before the Mavericks’ game against the Brooklyn Nets, which was diagnosed as a broken nose. Despite the severity of the injury, he played with a protective mask in the Mavs’ last four games and could opt to do the same against the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs. His status for the game has been officially listed as “probable” in the Mavs’ latest injury report, meaning he’s expected to play tonight at the American Airlines Center before heading to Indiana for the All-Star weekend.
With the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans only one game ahead and the Sacramento Kings only half a game behind in the tight race for the automatic qualification spots for the playoffs, Doncic and the Mavericks wouldn’t risk losing ground and would field their superstar guard against the Spurs. However, the Mavs would still be the favorites against the 11-43 Spurs without Doncic playing.
Can Luka Doncic win the MVP award?
With Joel Embiid officially out of the picture after missing his 18th game of the season, the MVP award is a four-horse race between Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. The Denver Nuggets superstar is the favorite to win the award. However, Doncic’s recent form has seen him climb two spots in the Kia MVP ladder. If he continues playing in the same vein, he could soon isolate Jokic and make the MVP award a two-horse race.
The Mavericks’ record is the only thing hindering Doncic’s odds. Dallas is seventh in the Western Conference standings, and no player in NBA history has won the MVP award after their team has finished that low in the table. Russell Westbrook won the award in 2017 when the Oklahoma City Thunder finished sixth in the Western Conference standings. However, he won it because he became only the second player in NBA history after Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double.
Doncic is averaging 34.3 points, 9.6 assists, and 8.8 rebounds. He has the scoring title on lock, with Embiid set to fail to hit the 70% eligibility mark to qualify for the award. However, if he can guide the Mavericks to the fifth or a higher position in the Western Conference standings, he would win his maiden MVP award.
