Kia MVP Ladder: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic both make big moves up

Luka Doncic is the only NBA player to have 60 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a single game.

The calendar turns to 2023 in two days, but traffic jams remain piling up from the Kia race to the MVP ladder.

There is no better way to start the new year.

“The history of the game was written by the players and will be written again tonight,” Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Tuesday night after witnessing superstar guard Luka Doncic. amazing world Arguably the best individual performance we’ve seen so far this season.

See, these players aren’t dropping their history-writing pens anytime soon—the fireworks are in store for 2023. Especially since we’ve seen 10 different 40 point games since Christmas. So, in this week’s Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, it’s important to point out that regardless of where your favorite Hooper is currently (high or low), it’s still relatively early in the game. The Michael Jordan Trophy is after all is said and done.

Doncic serves as a testament to that feeling. Everyone knows the numbers for Dallas, who came from behind the New York Knicks on Tuesday, 126-121. The Slovenian sensation set a stats line never before seen in the NBA (60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists).

But ignoring the flashy numbers and marinating just what unfolded during the final 33.9 seconds of regulation and overtime, let’s see how Doncic returns to the top five of this week’s Kia Race to the MVP Ladder. Please check if

Down nine points with 33.9 ticks left in regulation, the Mavericks embarked on a 10-3 run and trailed by three when Doncic walked to the free-throw line with 4.2 seconds remaining. The point guard hit the first free throw to cut the deficit to two and deliberately missed the next free throw. Miraculously, Doncic missed his ball loose during a mad scramble and immediately bounced it back while falling to the floor. bucket tying game One second left in regulation.

Doncic carried the Mavericks home from there, bringing in seven of the team’s 11 points in overtime.

In addition to breaking Dirk Nowitzki’s franchise mark, Doncic tied James Harden’s record (set Jan. 30, 2018) for the highest scoring triple-double in NBA history and set a career-high in rebounds. It was his seventh triple-double of the season.

Before Doncic’s historic and heroic night, the NBA team had a record of 0-13,884 over the past 20 seasons, but was trailing by at least 9 points with 35 seconds or less remaining.

“This kid won’t quit,” Kidd said.

The list is led by two-time Kia MVP Nikola Jokic, who pushed the Denver Nuggets to a tie for first place in the Western Conference with New Orleans. Doncic was Kia Racing’s MVP Ladder where he checked in for third place, while Boston’s Jason Tatum moved up the slot to his second place.

Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo rounded out the top five.

But leave it at 100. At this point, you can make a solid MVP case for every player ranked in the top 5, and possibly everyone ranked below.

And now the top 5 on the MVP ladder for the 2022-23 Kia Race:

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 25.7ppg, 10.8rpg, 9.4apg

“Joker” is his Fourth 40 Point Game, and was second in his final three outings as Denver’s five-game winning streak ended Wednesday night in the second game of consecutive sets in Sacramento. Playing without Jamal Murray, Bruce Brown, Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green, the Nuggets took a 19-point lead and evaporated in one fell swoop, sending the team their first loss of the season when they shot more than 57% from the floor. In 31 starts, Jokic led Denver to 21 of 22 wins, recording 24 double-doubles and seven triple-doubles, as he led the West after Thursday’s game. kept the Nuggets tied with the New Orleans Pelicans in first place.

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 31.0ppg, 8.1rpg, 4.0apg

Boston is 4-3 in its last seven homestands, extending its fourth straight victory against the LA Clippers on Thursday with Tatum and Jaylen Brown scoring 29 points each. Tatum’s career-high six-game streak of 30-plus points ended Thursday, but the 24-year-old Tatum overtook Antoine Walker for Boston’s second-highest 3-point tally (940) in his franchise history. was recorded.Tatums Last 6 games The key role the Celtics have played in maintaining the top spot in the Eastern Conference is remarkable. Boston hints at a four-game road trip that starts in Denver on Sunday.

3. Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: T-7

Season stats: 33.7ppg, 8.8rpg, 8.9apg

Doncic has dropped 50 and 60 points respectively in two of his last three shows before leading the league. 8th triple-double (35 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists) gave Dallas its fifth straight win in Thursday’s 129-114 win over the Houston Rockets. Over that span, Doncic is averaging 40.4 points per game (58% shooting), 11.8 rebounds per game and he has 10.4 assists. 500 for the better part of the season, somewhat lessening Doncic’s otherworldly numbers, but the team is now 20-16 and fifth in his Western conference. . This is largely due to Doncic’s consistent dominance. The main concern is whether Doncic can sustain production.

4. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 29.9ppg, 6.9rpg, 5.4apg

Durant should be creeping into the top three soon. He helped the NBA’s hottest team reach his 10th straight win on Wednesday. His last win was against the Atlanta Hawks, as Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 54 points.Durant reeled in 26 point double double, had a season-high 16 rebounds (his highest total since December 2016). Did you say Durant contributed a pair of blocks too?Yes, No. 7 is tied for his seventh in the NBA in total blocks (52). So it’s safe to say he’s done it on both ends of the floor as the leader of a team that he’s won 14 of the last 15 contests.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: First place

Season stats: 31.7ppg, 11.6rpg, 5.2apg

Antetokounmpo went 40-20-5 for the second time in his career on Wednesday, posting season-high points (45) and rebounds (22). The performance marked the 28-year-old scoring his 40 points for the sixth time this season. But Milwaukee appeared to be heading in the wrong direction, suffering four straight losses, including his 119-113 loss Wednesday against the struggling Chicago Bulls. It’s worth noting that Antetokounmpo played that game. The Bucks led by as much as 15 points in the fourth quarter, but played without Drew Holiday (a non-coronavirus illness) and Khris Middleton (a sore left knee). Antetokounmpo, who has dropped 42 or more points in three of his last five games, won’t stay in fifth place for long if Milwaukee returns to winning ways.

The following five:

6. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers (Last week’s ranking: T-7)
7. Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans (Last week’s ranking: 6th)
8. Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies (Last week’s ranking: 5th)
9. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (Last week’s ranking: Unranked)
Ten. Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week’s ranking: 9th)

Five more (in alphabetical order): Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Shai Gilgeous Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Julius Randle, New York Knicks. Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.

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Michael C. Wright is a Senior Writer for NBA.com.you can email him Herefind his archive Here and follow him twitter.

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