It was a night of immense celebration for the Los Angeles Lakers. They didn’t just claim any normal victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This one was special for LeBron James in particular. First, it came against his boyhood team, and second, he has eclipsed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once again. Nonetheless, he wasn’t the only one leaving with a milestone besides his name, and trust me, I am not exaggerating here…

Starting with Luka Doncic, the six-time All-Star reached 15,000 career points after another spotless display. He becomes the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach that milestone, only behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James. He scored 42, his third consecutive game scoring 40 or more. Alongside his injection of points, Doncic also had 12 assists with no turnovers. This win over the Cavaliers handed the Lakers their 50th win of the season. And for James, this was his 1,229th career win.

The King now sits at the top of the list of most wins in NBA history. He surpassed the mark set by Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. James had an efficient night, scoring 14 points and five rebounds. The Lakers were absolutely flawless in their victory tonight. It wasn’t just contributions from their ‘Big 3’. In fact, Austin Reaves struggled to mark a mark. But a lot of their role players filled in. Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura combined for 28 points while missing just two shots. The latter also reached 5,000 career points tonight. However, that isn’t the end of the list of milestones that were achieved.

The offensive duties were well distributed. The Lakers’ defense followed suit. They forced 14 turnovers from the Cavaliers and contained both Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Cleveland’s decorated backcourt added just 27 points. Head coach JJ Redick’s strategy was clear. Attack the opposition’s ball handlers and force mistakes, and the Lakers executed those plans successfully. They played those matchups with physicality and constant disturbance.

That cramped the Cavaliers’ offense, which only had 26 assists on the night. Redick won the chess battle against Kenny Atkinson. It also marked history for the Lakers coach. Redick now sits in the company of Phil Jackson as the only Lakers coach to have back-to-back 50+ win seasons. That’s the kind of trajectory the Purple and Gold have been on, especially in March. However, that still doesn’t seem convincing enough for Doncic to win the most prestigious individual accolade.

Luka Doncic keeps shining without MVP buzz, here’s putting logic to everything

Narratives from seasons ago are still hurting Luka Doncic. Recently, former ESPN analyst Rachel Nichols said she wouldn’t vote Doncic as her MVP. Nothing wrong. But the reasoning? He hasn’t played both sides of the floor for the entire season. The Lakers did stumble with inconsistency before the All-Star break. They were also not healthy during that stretch. Doncic still pulled them through, allowing for an aggressive push that gave the Lakers a stronghold as the third seed. That’s value. He’s the heartbeat of the system. JJ Redick has clarified this numerous times. And Doncic has quietly eradicated his flaws. Yet, the loud conversations aren’t happening.

The Slovenian just beat Kobe Bryant’s record. He’s got the most points by a Lakers player in a single month. Doncic also leads the league in scoring while being a triple threat. A similar player, Nikola Jokic, ranks higher on the MVP ladder than the Lakers star. Isn’t their impact eerily similar? It’s high time the NBA media truly appreciates the Lakers’ evolution. That stems from Doncic’s consistent brilliance. He’s not had a game scoring below 30 points in weeks. He is averaging close to three steals per game and puts his body on the line to draw charges. You don’t define ‘valuable’ with a fixed set of guidelines. It’s how a player elevates their team.

Doncic was never regarded as a top defender. But he’s certainly trying and generating output on that side of the court. Offensively, there’s no match. Doncic can control everything on any given possession. And most of all, he’s the only unstoppable force at the moment. Just for context’s sake, if James Harden can win MVP as a terrific offensive engine, Doncic has already reached those levels.

The Lakers aren’t the best team, but they are one of them. And Doncic should draw vast praise for their rampant rise since the All-Star break. It’s time for him to be regarded as one of the best players in the league. To say he isn’t worthy of being the MVP is, as Stephen A. Smith would say, blasphemy.