The Los Angeles Lakers were run off the floor by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it ended Luka Doncic’s bid for MVP. He is coming off a month where he scored 600 points and shockingly got his team into title contention. Doncic has been building his case for Most Valuable Player, but the reigning champs put an emphatic end to that on Thursday night. Luka struggled and injured his hamstring, which may leave him at 64 games played for the season.
It is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be taking home the MVP for the second straight year. It is the most prestigious individual honor in the NBA, and it means even more to Luka. Number 77 is flirting with his sixth first-team All-NBA appearance. He is already a legend, but an MVP makes him one of the 50 best players of all time.
It was the third time OKC defeated the Lakers this season. This is a historically great MVP race with four worthy candidates. Voters will be splitting hairs to select a winner. Getting a win over the defending champs and going off could have pushed Luka up the ballots. It just never happened. Instead, the Thunder dominated, and SGA all but cemented his second straight MVP.
Luka Doncic won’t win MVP after disastrous loss to Thunder
OKC jumped the Lakers from the opening tip. They were up 18-4 less than five minutes into the game and never looked back. The Lakers were down 31 at the half. Luka had ten points, five assists, four rebounds, and one steal, but it came up with four turnovers and his team losing his 21 minutes by 24 points.
Doncic injured his hamstring in the first half and made it worse in the third quarter. He was unable to continue. Luka finished with 12 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and six turnovers in 26 minutes. The injury looked bad and is horrible news for Lakers fans. The playoffs are two weeks away, and Doncic may not be ready for the start.
If number 77 misses the rest of the season, he won't be eligible for awards. That would mean no All-NBA or MVP. The Lakers would rather have him healthy for the playoffs, but things certainly went from bad to worse in Oklahoma City.
It obviously is of far lesser concern than his playoff availability, but if Luka Doncic is out for the final 10 days of the regular season, he won’t be eligible for end-of-season awards, after Anthony Edwards was eliminated from eligibility by missing Minnesota’s game tonight.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 3, 2026
Things were finally clicking for the Lakers. Luka found rhythm with his team, and it led to winning 16 of the last 18 games before Thursday’s nightmare. The Thunder didn’t miss, and the Lakers turned the ball over way too much. OKC is the defending champs for a reason. They earned this win, and it left Lakers fans questioning the hot streak.
Never count out Luka Doncic. Things got away from number 77 and the Lakers on Thursday night, but they proved in March that they can compete with anyone. LA is going to be the third seed in the Western Conference and can make a deep playoff run. They need to flush this game and move on.
Luka Doncic won’t win MVP after the Los Angeles Lakers nightmare loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. He led the NBA in scoring and is one of the best players in the world. Sadly, a rough midseason stretch meant everything had to go right for Luka down the stretch. This nightmare ended his MVP dreams for this season.
Doncic is now focused on the playoffs. He wants to help his team win a championship. This game didn’t end that dream. Expect it to be the Lakers' sole focus moving forward. They need Luka healthy for that. Hopefully, he makes a quick recovery and is back on the floor. Lakers fans will be holding their breath until more news comes out.