The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night behind a 42-point double-double from Luka Doncic. Fans thought number 77 was out of the MVP race, but Doncic made history, led his team to a win over a title contender, and kept LA scorching hot. The purple and gold look like serious title contenders thanks to LD.
The Lakers destroyed the Cavs in the second and third quarters to close this one out early. Luka had 35 points and 11 dimes as LA was up 27 with 12 minutes to go. The Cavaliers made a run in the fourth, but Luka quickly pushed it out reach after returning in the final stanza. Doncic didn’t play on Monday night after being suspended. He returned with his 13th straight 30-point game and helped the Lakers win their 16th in the last 18.
Number 77 is playing his best basketball right now. Head coach JJ Redick made the case for Doncic winning MVP on Monday night. His arguments only got stronger after the dominant win over Cleveland. The Cavs were so defeated that they pulled the plug after three quarters.
Luka Doncic furthers MVP case with historic night
Doncic scored his 15,000th career point on Tuesday night. He became the third youngest player to accomplish that feat behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Luka also passed Kobe Bryant for the most points scored in a single March in Lakers history. Number 77 scored 600 points over 16 games. He is on a truly unstoppable run.
Luka just added a feather into his MVP case. The Lakers got their 50th win of the season and all but secured the third seed in the Western Conference. Luka has been the best player in the world over this hot stretch.
He can further prove it over the next week as the Lakers face the Thunder and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander twice between now and April 7. It will be Doncic’s shot to cement his case.
The narratives around Luka are hilarious. Fans of other teams are putting down his defense and pointing to his lowlights. Doncic has keyed the Lakers' defensive turnaround and has them playing like a true title contender. This was a roster everyone wrote off midseason as not talented enough to win it all. They just crushed the Cavaliers and have won 16 of 18.
LA has the worst record without Luka among the serious MVP candidates, which further speaks to number 77’s value.
It’s pretty wild to look at the records for this season's top 4 MVP candidates when they aren't on the floor.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 31, 2026
🏀 Thunder: 8-4 without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
🏀 Spurs : 10-5 without Victor Wembanyama
🏀 Nuggets: 10-6 without Nikola Jokic
🏀 Lakers: 7-6 without Luka Doncic… pic.twitter.com/SHwngFdEBe
Luka Doncic finished with 42 points, 12 assists, four rebounds, two steals, and zero turnovers against the Cavaliers. He made 13 of his 26 field goal attempts, including hitting six 3-pointers and all ten of his free throws. The Lakers outscored Cleveland by 21 in his 34 minutes of action.
Doncic has literally taken Los Angeles from afterthought to contender. SGA, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokic have been historically great. This is an all-time MVP race, but the man wearing purple and gold deserves the honor. He leads the NBA in scoring, has been the best offensive creator in the world, and just made a subpar roster a serious title threat. None of the other candidates can say that.
Luka Doncic dropped 42 points in a dominant win over the Cavaliers to boost his MVP case. The Los Angeles Lakers have surprisingly won 50 games and are playing their best at the right time. There is no stopping Doncic. The last time he did this, his team wound up in the NBA Finals. Don’t be surprised to see number 77 duplicate that feat. He is otherworldly.