Dallas Basketball

Luka Doncic Moves Back Into Top 5 Of Latest NBA MVP Ladder

Doncic is slowly climbing back up after "struggling" to start the season

Austin Veazey

Dec 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) handles the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) handles the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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Luka Doncic has only played in one game since the latest NBA MVP Ladder dropped, but that one game was a masterpiece, putting up 45 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in a 143-133 win over the Golden State Warriors. He hurt his heel early in that game but played through it, which forced him to miss Thursday's game against the LA Clippers.

That one performance was enough to bump Doncic up the MVP Ladder from 6th place last week to the 4th week, behind only Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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"Dončić rebounded from a sub-par showing against Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder in the NBA Cup Knockout Rounds with one of the most impactful performances of anyone this season: a 45-11-13 line in a shootout win vs. the Warriors on Sunday," NBA's Shaun Powell explained. "Since returning from a wrist injury a few weeks ago, Dončić is averaging more than 30 points (on more efficient shooting), 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals per game. That latter number is important because it shows some growth defensively, which until lately was an issue with him."

He moved ahead of Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns in this edition of the MVP Ladder, while Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama, Trae Young, and Tyler Herro round out the top 10.

Doncic is still in fourth on FanDuel's MVP odds list at +750, behind Jokic (+105), Gilgeous-Alexander (+250), and Antetokounmpo (+500).

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Short-Handed Loss to Clippers

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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG

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