Lebron James may have been the hero in Los Angeles Lakers’ recent win but Luka Doncic also played one hell of a game by posting a triple double of 35-15-11.
Doncic has just returned after a two-game absence to tend to his wife who gave birth to their daughter. The Lakers went 1-1 in that span. The Slovenian was a steady force in the win over the Philadelphia 76ers before James took over in the fourth quarter.
His recent game is just another day in the office and this prompted Magic Johnson to call him a frontrunner for the MVP award.
LeBron James was nothing short of spectacular scoring 11 straight points in the 4th quarter (including three straight 3-pointers) and had 29 total points tonight to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-108! The NBA’s leading candidate for MVP, Luka Doncic, had a triple double with…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 8, 2025
Doncic is aware of his current standing on the MVP race. He said he wants it but he is not chasing it. Just like the usual numbers he posted, he is all about playing his game.
“I just play my game. You never know what’s gonna happen. Obviously I want it anybody in the world that plays basketball want it so will see what happens.”
Luka Doncic in the MVP Ladder
The MVP race is quite close this season, just like in the past years.
Current leader for the individual award is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, followed by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. These two retained the spots they got from the past ranking.
As for Doncic, he is only third on the ladder. NBA.com’s Shaun Powell wrote:
He’s the scoring leader and ranks fourth in assists and among the best rebounding guards in the league right now. Over the last seven games, Luka has scored 33 or more points and hit 40 twice. His rise in LA continues.
He can be reckless with the ball at times — nine turnovers in his last game — but the pluses far outweigh that; those mistakes rarely cost the Lakers a game, as evident by their place in the standings.
An oddsmaker says he only has 18 percent chance to win it at this moment.
Luka Doncic currently has an 18% chance at MVP according to @Polymarket pic.twitter.com/hptOcjk3XN
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) December 6, 2025
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