Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks fought tooth and nail to beat the Clippers. Hosting Paul George and co, the hosts took on an early 25-point lead. However, just like last year, the Clippers are a scrappy team, and they found a way to get back into the game. At the last second, Luka stepped up and worked his magic.
Advertisement
With 27.8 seconds to go, Luka hit a dagger three to make the Mavs up 102-98.
LUKA IS DIFFERENT
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 16, 2022
This eventually resulted in a 103-101 Mavericks win.
Luka, as always, showed up for the team. He put up 35 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. It was a dominant display from the Slovenian Sensation, who is working his way into his first MVP campaign.
However, some people cannot appreciate greatness. One of them is Skip Bayless.
Skip Bayless claims Luka Doncic doesn’t deserve credit for his shot
If anyone had doubts about Luka and his brilliance, they should have been erased after last night’s performance. The 23-year-old took on the Mavericks on his back, and carried them home, yet again.
However, Skip Bayless doesn’t believe so. He rated Luka’s performance a 6 out of 10. Talking about it further, Skip said,
On a scale of 1-10 how impressive was Luka Dončić’s three with 27 seconds left?
“I’ll give it a 6. This was the classic LeBron memorial loose ball shot clock three where you have no choice but to shoot it, not a walk-off three.” — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/TwHxGiDzyO
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) November 16, 2022
According to Skip, Luka’s three-point percentage this season dictated that he shouldn’t have taken that shot. However, he did, just like LeBron James would have. Sure, LeBron has made many such triples in his career. However, taking away credit from his shots and using them to discredit another star? Skip really is desperate for views right now.
The Mavericks have won eight games so far, and all of them are thanks to Luka. However, Skip claims Luka’s 29.1% from deep this season is why they have their five losses.
I guess with LeBron injured, Skip just needed someone else to pick on.
Can Luka win MVP this season?
So far this season, Luka has been nothing short of sensational. He’s averaging a league-high 34.4 points, along with 8.8 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.1 steals. If Luka can keep putting up numbers like this, while leading the Mavs to a winning record, there is no reason why he should not be the 2023 NBA MVP.
Before the season, the GMs already picked him as a favorite to win the MVP honors. He hasn’t disappointed us so far, and Luka won’t be looking to start now. Luka’s Billionaire idol, LeBron James, won his first MVP in his sixth season in the league. Seeing how things are right now, Luka can one-up him and win his first MVP in his fifth season in the NBA.