After Saturday night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Mavericks are now 25-21 in the Western Conference. Their margin of error has grown thin after falling to the eighth seed.
Despite the loss, both Luka Doncic and Grant Williams had great games after playing heavy minutes the night before. Williams finally had a breakout performance, as he finished the game with 27 points and three steals. With Doncic, it was more of what we’ve seen over the past few weeks. A 28-point triple-double.
After a record-shattering night from Doncic, where he dropped 73 points in Atlanta, fans were unsure if the Slovenian would even play. He not only played but also played a key role in helping the Mavericks overcome a 23-point deficit. Regardless of the comeback attempt from the Mavs, they still lost 120-115.
NBA MVP Power Rankings: Luka Doncic rises after 73-point performance, who falls?
While Kyrie Irving has been sidelined with an injury, the Mavs have struggled to gain any ground. They’ve dropped multiple games embarrassingly, and have failed to find any help for Doncic outside of Williams’ 27-point game against the Kings.
For Dallas, it has become a critical time for the team to make a move. After seeing their superstar wield his way to a win over Atlanta, this should be a message to the front office that the team needs to make win-now moves.
After seeing Doncic score the fourth-most points in a game (73), let’s take a look at this week’s MVP Power Rankings and see what has shaken up.
10. Devin Booker
Last week’s rank: N/A
Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns have swept through the Western Conference in recent weeks. Booker has scored at a record pace and hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down after dropping a 62-point game.
9. Anthony Edwards
Last week’s rank: 10
Despite struggling over the last two weeks, Anthony Edwards has kept his Timberwolves team afloat in the West. The T-Wolves have now lost to the San Antonio Spurs and the Charlotte Hornets in the same week.
8. Domantas Sabonis
Last week’s rank: 8
Domantas Sabonis has shrugged off the Kings’ most recent struggles. He and the Kings have now won three in a row and have put their four-game slip in the rearview mirror. Expect Sabonis to climb the rankings if the Kings continue to win games.
7. Jayson Tatum
Last week’s rank: 6
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have reached their first confusing stretch of basketball. After winning three straight, including going 2-0 in a back-to-back stretch in Texas, The Celtics have now been blown out by the LA Clippers. This could be one bump in the road, or this could be a concerning sign for fans.
6. Kawhi Leonard
Last week’s rank: 7
Kawhi Leonard has skyrocketed in recent weeks with his team’s performance. Leonard may not be in real consideration for the MVP award, but he has led his team to a 30-14 record. If the Clippers continue to steamroll over the best teams, they could prove to be a championship-winning team.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Last week’s rank: 5
Some uncertainty has loomed over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s head after head coach Adrian Griffin was fired earlier this week. He coached the Bucks to a 30-13 record but increasingly lost the locker room’s faith as the season went on. Since his firing, Milwaukee has hired Doc Rivers to take over the coaching duties for the rest of the season.
Since Griffin’s departure, the Bucks have gone 2-1 with their interim head coach. Rivers is expected to take over on Monday against the Denver Nuggets. For Rivers, this wouldn’t be his first time with a championship-caliber team. In 2008, Rivers coached the Boston Celtics to their first title in over two decades.
Giannis now has the certainty of a head coach and his partner, Damian Lillard. Since the head coaching change, Lillard has made it a point of emphasis to take a step up in his production. Both Lillard and Giannis have carried the Bucks through this awkward stretch.
In Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis took over the game by dropping a 30-point triple-double. Without this explosion by Giannis, the Bucks would have likely lost to the hot-handed Cavs.
With the Bucks’ future now looking more secure. They can shift their focus on staying healthy and positioning themselves for a 2024 title run. Behind Rivers, they finally get the championship-caliber head coach they have been looking for since the summer.
The Bucks’ next game will be on Monday against the Denver Nuggets. It will be the first time we see Rivers in action.
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Last week’s rank: 3
Despite leading OKC to a five-game winning streak, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will drop from the No. 3 spot after a Luka Doncic 73-point master class.
Throughout the Thunder’s five-game winning streak, Shai has also been on a streak of his own. The 25-year-old Canadian has been on a five-game streak of scoring 30 or more points. In those five games, Shai hasn’t shot under 40 percent from the field despite taking most of the shots on his Thunder team.
Shai has also had a huge contribution to the rise of Jalen Williams. Williams has broken out this season and has even been considered by some fans to be an All-Star. If Williams were to somehow make it into the All-Star game, it would be the first Thunder duo since Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant did it back in 2016.
Defensively, The Thunder duo has become a scary sight for opposing teams on the perimeter. Shai has an uncanny ability to affect the best of shots with his lengthy wingspan. Shai can also use his wingspan to pry loose balls away, which explains his over two steals a game.
With the Thunder on their current five-game winning streak, they now lead the Western Conference. They have accumulated a 32-13 record and have shown zero signs of slowing down. They will look to build upon their first-place record with their next game against the Detroit Pistons.
3. Luka Doncic
Last week’s rank: 4
Luka Doncic eclipses past Gilgeous-Alexander after a historic 73-point night against the Hawks.
Despite dropping in recent weeks, Doncic now rises in this week’s rankings with a historic performance. The 24-year-old dominated the Hawks all night from pretty much every spot on the floor. Without his 73-point contribution, the Mavs would have likely lost due to how close the game was all night long.
The Mavericks have been on a dry spell recently after losing four out of their last five games. This streak was right off of an amazing home stand that saw the Mavericks go 5-2 in the seven games they had in Dallas.
With Kyrie Irving being absent the last few games, Doncic has stepped up in a huge way. Last season, the Mavericks relied on Doncic to take the bulk of the offense, which was why they acquired Irving at the trade deadline. Over the past few games, fans have seen Doncic return to his old ways while Irving has been sidelined.
Despite Doncic’s performances not translating into wins, the Mavericks have stayed competitive throughout large stretches of these games. The Importance of Irving is now on full display for the Mavs, as they are currently in the toughest stretch of their season.
For the Mavericks, their next game will be against the Orlando Magic at home. Fans will be eager to see if Irving will suit up against the struggling Magic squad. For Doncic, this will be yet another test to see if he is worthy of winning the MVP award.
2. Nikola Jokic
Last week’s rank: 2
Despite remaining in second place, Nikola Jokic has shined in the games he has played in. It seems like Jokic is buying his time against Joel Embiid in the MVP hunt.
Jokic has dominated in January. He’s led his Denver Nuggets to a 10-4 record and has averaged two assists shy of a triple-double through the month. Their only marquee losses were a nearly 40-point blowout loss to the New York Knicks earlier this week and a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Behind Jokic, the Nuggets have reclaimed their spot as one of the teams to beat in the west and have only lost to one Western Conference opponent in the last 14 games. However, just last night, they reclaimed themselves against the Sixers with a six-point victory in Denver.
In the win over Philly, Jokic dominated with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Jokic benefitted from the absence of the former MVP, Joel Embiid. Embiid has yet to play a game in Denver in over four years, and it was no different this year as he was out due to a sore knee.
Despite Jokic dominating in January, his only hope for winning the MVP award could be Embiid falling out of the race due to too many games missed. The former MVP is now six games shy of losing the ability to compete for any award in this NBA season.
1. Joel Embiid
Last week’s rank: 1
Joel Embiid remains atop the rankings despite missing one of the most important games of the season against the Denver Nuggets.
Despite not playing in Denver, Embiid has not disappointed this week. He joined Doncic as the two players to score 70 points in the same week and are the only two players to score more than 70 points in the same week ever.
In Monday night’s game against the Spurs, Embiid dominated with 70 points and converted just under 60 percent of his shots from the field. Additionally, Embiid grabbed 18 boards in the win over the Spurs.
After not playing in Denver, Embiid has become extremely close to losing the ability to win any award this NBA season. After the NBA created new rules to eliminate player rest policies, it has since hindered Embiid from potentially winning the MVP award. Embiid is now just six games away from being out of contention.
Since scoring 70 points on Monday night, Embiid has upped his season average to 36 points per game. This would be one of the highest averages for a season in NBA history if the season ended today.
Embiid is worthy of winning the MVP award, but it’s a question of if he can play or not. If Embiid misses yet another game in the coming week, the 65-game minimum could become a serious factor for the superstar. The Sixers’ next game will be against the Portland Trail Blazers. For more updates on Joel Embiid, the MVP race, and Dallas Mavericks basketball, stay plugged in.
Leave a Reply