Luka Doncic returned with a vengeance on Tuesday night, leading the Los Angeles Lakers with 42 points and 12 assists in the victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. And in doing so, Doncic again made history.
The superstar guard totaled 600 points in the month of March, breaking Kobe Bryant’s franchise record for most points in the month. Additionally, he joined the legendary Michael Jordan as the only players to ever score 600 points in March, with Jordan totaling 676 points in 1987.
It has been an unbelievable run for Doncic, who has now scored at least 30 points in 13 consecutive games, and at least 40 in his last three. He was named Western Conference Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks and in all likelihood will win Western Conference Player of the Month for March as well.
Against the Cavaliers, Doncic also hit a personal milestone as he reached 15,000 career points, becoming the third-youngest player in NBA history to accomplish the feat. Only LeBron James and Kevin Durant reached it faster as Doncic was just a couple months ahead of Bryant.
Perhaps the most important thing is that Doncic’s exploits have come in Lakers’ wins. The Lakers went 15-2 in the month of March, firmly securing themselves as the No. 3 seed in the West. And in Doncic’s eyes, his run wouldn’t mean much if the Lakers hadn’t been picking up wins as well.
“For sure. I mean, if you don’t win, it doesn’t really mean anything,” Doncic said after the victory over the Cavaliers. “The run we have been on, I mean, it really means a lot. So, we just have to keep building on that.”
The Lakers are hitting their stride at the perfect time of the season and have their eyes set on making a deep run in the postseason. The team has been getting contributions from everyone on the roster throughout this stretch, but make no mistake it has been Doncic setting the tone and leading the way and if he and the Lakers continue performing like this, they will be a very hard team to take out in the postseason.
JJ Redick believes Luka Doncic should be NBA MVP if Lakers finish strong
Doncic’s performance has also planted him firmly in the race for NBA MVP alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic. But in the eyes of head coach JJ Redick, Doncic should take home the award if the Lakers remain on this run and finish the season strong.
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