Doncic showed a national audience why he should be the NBA’s MVP this season

LOS ANGELES — For those who haven’t had the time to thoroughly study his game, Luka Doncic showed national TV audience, which is what he was talking about when the Dallas Mavericks took on the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at the Crypto.com Arena.

Need a bucket? Doncic delivered a lot of them. Bounces, anyone? Doncic captured more than his share. Any assists on the menu? Doncic rolled up his sleeves and handed out a few of them.

The final total, scored by Doncic during the Mavs’ 119–115 win over the Lakers in double overtime, was 35 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. It was his 10^th The season’s triple-double is one short of Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who leads the NBA with 11 triple-doubles.

More importantly, Doncic has nine triple-doubles this season in which he has scored at least 30 points. The remaining 400+ NBA players COMBINED for just six 30-point triple-doubles this season.

The icing on the cake was the notorious Doncic, who converted a dramatic three-pointer with six seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. And he also hit another stunning 3-pointer with less than a minute left in overtime, which went into double overtime.

In short, Doncic was just reminding people why he should be the top nominee for this year’s Most Valuable Player award.

“(Doncic) was incredible,” coach Jason Kidd said. It was Luca.

Center Christian Wood went even further, stating: “He’s a big shooter. He’s been doing that since he got into the league and we trust him to make those big shots and he really helped us (Thursday) and helped us fight and get this win.”

Defender Tim Hardaway summed up the evening for the Mavs by saying: “Every time you have 77 (Doncic) on the floor, it’s a chance and you have a great chance to win the game. He did an excellent job.”

Here are three takeaways from the Mavs’ four-point victory over the Lakers.

DONCIC WAS THE KING: The headline leading up to Thursday’s game was Luka Doncic and the Mavs vs. LeBron James and the Lakers. Doncic played 53 minutes, scored 35 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, grabbed 14 rebounds, split the gamee-high made 13 passes and was 14 of 28 from the field, including 4 of 9 from the three-point line. James played 47 minutes, scored 24 points, grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds, threw down nine assists, missed his final seven shots, hit 9-of-28 from the floor, and misfired all seven of his three non-point attempts.

WOODEN PROTECTIVE BEAST: Throughout his career, Christian Wood has developed a reputation for being a player who can get a bucket and a player who can get rebounds. Protection? Well, Wood was never known to mix this ingredient as part of his game. But try saying it “Lakers.” Wood blocked five shots Thursday night, including one against LeBron James from under the basket just before overtime expired. He also constantly messed up defense and hit balls in double overtime, even after twisting his right ankle.

DINVIDDI WAS HARD: Spencer Dinwiddie helped the Mavs a lot. Not only did he finish with 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. But he was also 7 of 13 from the field, including 2 of 6 from behind the 3-point arc. Also, Dinwiddie reminded people that there are serious jumps in his game. It sounded right as he skied through the air to dunk a volley that took the Mavs 105-103 with 1:58 left in overtime. Dinwiddie then opened the double overtime session with another dunk throw that left the crowd roaring. He also gave the Mavs a 118–113 lead, missing less than a minute in double overtime.

Twitter: @DwainPrice