Luka Doncic Falls From No. 2 To No. 4 In MVP Rankings
After twice dodging Giannis Antetokounmpo twice last weekend, the Miami Heat get the opportunity to face an MVP candidate tonight in Dallas.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is averaging 33.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Despite the numbers, he dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 in the latest NBA.com rankings.
"Scoring isn’t the problem, nor is shooting, considering the Mavs have shot 50 percent or better from the field in three of their last four games," wrote NBA.com's Michael C. Wright. "Doncic leads the NBA with 31 30-point games this season, which is also a career high. But the 23-year-old — and the rest of the team — need to drastically improve on defense for Dallas to return to its winning ways, which would only improve Doncic’s MVP prospects. It’s not like this team isn’t capable either, as evidenced by last season’s run to the West finals with Doncic serving as a willing defensive participant. Every other player in the top five of this list carries a defensive rating of 111.3 and since Christmas, Dallas has the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA (121.9)."
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic topped the rankings, followed by Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers).
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