Luka Doncic had his worst game of the 2023-24 season in the Dallas Mavericks’ 131-110 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He will have less than 24 hours to redeem himself when the Mavs travel to the Capital One Arena to take on the Washington Wizards. Doncic was asked by reporters after the lopsided loss to the Pelicans if he was fine. “Luka Legend” politely told them that he just had a bad match and he was ready to move on to the next challenge.
Doncic was seething with frustration with the way he played in New Orleans. He was on the court for 26 minutes and finished with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and eight turnovers. It was definitely a game he would have wanted to take back.
The ever-competitive Slovenian looked like he couldn’t wait to get on the plane to travel to Washington. “Luka Magic” will have a chance to show his usually impressive game against the reeling Washington Wizards who are in a three-game losing streak.
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Luka Doncic is expected to be a strong MVP contender this season
Luka Doncic is averaging 31.1 points, 7.9 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. The four-time All-NBA player is hitting 51.1% of his shots, including 42.6% from behind the arc. He’s the biggest reason why the Dallas Mavericks are looking like serious contenders early in the season.
Like last season, Doncic is again expected to have a legitimate chance of winning the MVP award. Nikola Jokic is the heavy favorite with Joel Embiid in that mix as well. If there’s anybody who can pull off an upset in the race, the Slovenian might be the one to do it.
Giannis Antetokounmpo could also do the same, but his partnership with Damian Lillard could take away some of his opportunities. Doncic, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to be affected by Kyrie Irving’s presence on the roster as far as being an MVP candidate goes.
Luka Doncic’s chance to win the Michael Jordan Trophy disappeared after the Mavericks went into a tailspin after the trade deadline. They went from fourth in the Western Conference to the 10th in four weeks. Dallas eventually missed even the play-in tournament.
The retooled lineup looks far better and deeper than the one that Mark Cuban surrounded his superstars with. Jason Kidd has role players who are tailor-made for Doncic and Irving to operate. If the Mavericks have a strong regular season, “Luka Legend” should have a very good chance of winning the MVP.
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