Sleep-Deprived Luka Doncic Admits MVP Desire After Beating the NBA Cup Champs Without Kyrie Irving

The Los Angeles Lakers stepped into the Tuesday night game having just won the In-season Tournament trophy. While it was anticipated that the LA side would have a cakewalk against the injury-plagued Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic had a strong reply. The Slovenian star, along with the support of his teammates, took home a comfortable victory. He didn’t stop with just that but also revealed his desire to clinch the MVP award at the post-game interview.

Doncic has had an unstoppable run this season, averaging above 32 points and continuing from where he left off last season. The only difference is that the Mavs didn’t qualify for the playoffs despite the star’s 32-point average. However, in this season, the Mavs went off to a flying start and currently hold the 3rd seed in the Western Conference with a 15-8 record.

Sleep-deprived Luka Doncic admits MVP desire

Luka Doncic dominated the Lakers right from the tip-off. The 24-year-was so locked in that he didn’t spare the superstars of the Lakers. During a sequence in the second quarter, he contested against both LeBron James and Anthony Davis and dropped a three-pointer over them while almost breaking James’ ankle.

That sequence set the tone for the game. Luka’s teammates followed the command and produced a comfortable win despite going short-handed into the game as three players, including Kyrie Irving, were not available for the game.

Luka Doncic dropped 33 points with a whooping 17 rebounds to seal a 127-125 victory and took home a 2-game winning streak. Following the victory, the interviewer asked the star about his desire for the MVP trophy. Luka had a straightforward answer. He said, “Who wouldn’t want to be the MVP of the league?” 

Moreover, the star, who recently became a father, revealed about lack of sleep during the interview as well. He reportedly said, “I don’t know how I played [vs. Lakers]. I slept very little today. Everything hurts. I’m getting old, man, but we got two back-to-back wins, which is amazing, especially against a team like the Lakers. So I’m really proud of these guys.” Tim MacMahon published the post on X quoting Luka.

Despite a lack of sleep the day before, Doncic pumped in 33 points, a point more than his average this season. Moreover, the 24-year-old has been climbing up and down the MVP ladder in the last few weeks.

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While the top two spots are held by Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, there has been a race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka for the third spot.

Will Luka climb up the ladder?

Currently, the Slovenian star is right behind Jokic and Embiid in the MVP ladder. However, Luka has a better average than the Denver Nuggets spearhead by 5 points. There are plenty of chances for the Mavs star to climb up to the second spot.

Meanwhile, Embiid, who heads the MVP ladder, has an astonishing average of 33.4 points. It would take an extra special performance from Luka to reach the top of the ladder.

On the other hand, LeBron James, Devin Booker, and Tyrese Haliburton have entered the top 10. With around 60 games left for each team, anyone from the list can top the list by the end of the season.

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