Doncic Drops 60 Points as Lakers Push MVP Case After Miami Victory

Luka Doncic exploded for 60 points in the Lakers' 134-126 win over Miami, earning MVP chants from the road crowd. The performance has Lakers coach JJ Redick arguing that Doncic deserves more consideration in this year's MVP race.

MIAMI (AP) — As Luka Doncic approached the free-throw line during the closing minutes, the arena erupted with a chant he couldn’t ignore.

The crowd was shouting “MVP” — and this was in an opposing team’s building.

“I think every player wants to hear it,” Doncic said. “I got a lot of goosebumps, so it was pretty special.”

The Miami fans had good reason to show their appreciation after witnessing Doncic, currently the league’s top scorer, deliver a spectacular 60-point performance that powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a 134-126 victory over the Heat.

Doncic now holds a 1.9 points per game edge over Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the scoring title race. He’s been on fire lately, putting up 37.2 points per game throughout March and 35.1 points per game following the All-Star break. His exceptional play has coincided perfectly with the Lakers’ current eight-game winning streak.

“It became just an incredible display of shotmaking, drawing fouls, etc.,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We just probably weren’t active enough to get the ball out of his hands. … We didn’t get to enough stuff to keep him at least a little bit off-balance.”

Thursday night’s remarkable stat line came on the same Miami court where Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 83 points against Washington earlier this month. Doncic shot 18-of-30 from the floor, connected on 9-of-17 three-pointers, and made 15-of-19 free throws while adding seven rebounds and five steals. Most impressively, this came during the second game of back-to-back nights, with the Lakers having played in Houston Wednesday before arriving at their Miami hotel at 5:10 a.m. Thursday morning.

“It was a superhero performance,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

The 60-point explosion matched Doncic’s second-highest scoring output, trailing only his 73-point game against Atlanta in 2024 and equaling his previous 60-point effort against New York in 2022 — both achievements coming during his time with Dallas.

Doncic also established a new scoring record for any visiting player at Miami’s arena, surpassing James Harden’s 58-point game for Houston on Feb. 28, 2019.

While coaches naturally advocate for their players in award discussions, Redick has been particularly vocal about questioning why Doncic — who has never placed higher than third in MVP voting — receives limited consideration as a leading candidate this season.

That was his stance even before Thursday’s 60-point explosion.

“I think he’s playing as well as anyone in basketball,” Redick said. “He’s really elevated his play at a really important time for our team. He’s elevated the play of his teammates. … He’s one of the best and should be in the M-word conversation. Hopefully, people will start talking about that because he’s having as good a season as anyone.”

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Doncic ranks as the second favorite in the MVP race — though he trails significantly behind Gilgeous-Alexander, who claimed last year’s award.

Doncic’s dominant showing even overshadowed another milestone achievement by LeBron James, who matched Robert Parish’s NBA record for total games played while recording a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

James was impressed by how effortless Doncic made his path to 60 points appear.

“It wasn’t even like he was trying to force his way to get it,” James said. “I mean, everything came in the flow. Once he got hot in that third (quarter), obviously he had a red hand and he just kept it going and then made some big time plays for us in the fourth. … Big time, big time, big time.”