Assuming he ends up winning the NBA MVP award this season, Luka Doncic’s dominating play for the Dallas Mavericks over the previous two months would most certainly be cited as the cause for his success.

The 125-107 victory over the 11-win Houston Rockets on Sunday was the perfect way to top off Doncic’s fantastic week. He scored 47 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, passed out seven assists, and stole the ball twice. After Doncic averaged 32.5 points, 11 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in four games last week, he was awarded the Western Conference Player of the Week by the NBA on Monday.

In Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz, Doncic got the week started with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists. He followed that up with 28 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against the Sacramento Kings, and added 26 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists in a rematch against the Kings on Friday before culminating his impressive week with that outlandish showing against the Rockets.

Doncic had 30.5% shooting from the field, 10.0% rebounding, 10.0% assist, and 1.8 steals per game in March. All of it followed his February Player of the Month award from the Western Conference, in which he averaged 33.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 10.3 assists, and 1.8 steals.

When asked Sunday if he feels like he’s playing MVP-worthy basketball, Doncic skated the question by saying, “That’s a question for you (media) guys.”

Undeniably, Doncic’s MVP status advanced significantly following his performance against the Rockets. During the first quarter, Doncic came out swinging, scoring 22 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out four assists.

The Rockets kicked eight field goals in the first quarter, and Doncic was 8 for eleven overall. In the first quarter, he shot 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, compared to the Rockets’ 4-for-11 performance.

A technical knockout would have ended the bout in the first quarter if the fight had been for a prize.

According to Mavs guard Kyrie Irving, “you’ve got to be able to play every role.” Irving gained this knowledge from his experience playing on exceptional teams. Keep giving that player great energy and praise when he scores for five minutes in a row, and focus on playing defense and enjoying the simple things.

More doors will open for us when (Doncic) is that effective and aggressive. “When someone’s got it going like that,” you simply have to be prepared to play every character.

The NBA selected Doncic as the Western Conference Player of the Week because to his impressive play throughout the last week, not only against the Rockets. In a nutshell, he’s been stacking up some MVP numbers for quite some time.

 

While we had some technical difficulties, here are Dwain Price’s three takeaways from the 18-point win over the Rockets.

WHAT A HALF: For those late-comers to Sunday’s game between the Mavs and Rockets, they really missed a treat. Not only did Mavs point guard Doncic pour in 22 points in the opening quarter, he had 32 points, snatched eight rebounds and dispensed five assists – in the first two quarters. Here’s what sheer domination look like. The Rockets scored 45 points in the first half. With his points and assist total, Doncic accounted for 46 of the 66 points the Mavs tallied in the first half. Enough said.

IRVING RINGING UP THE NUMBERS: Irving was mesmerized by some of the things Luka Doncic was able to do to the Rockets. Especially when Doncic tossed in a 20-footer – underhand style – over Jabari Smith Jr. in the third quarter when the 24-second shot clock was on the verge of expiring. Irving, though, had his own collection of spirited plays against the Rockets. He finished the game with 24 points and seven assists. He was 9-of-19 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from downtown.

IT’S RAINING THREES: After banging out more than their share of points in the paint in recent games, the Mavs picked up their cell phone and called on a trusted old friend to help them dismantle the Rockets. They leaned on the three-point shot. And boy, did it answer the call. Overall against the Rockets, the Mavs were a sizzling 24-of-47 from beyond the three-point arc for a scorching 51.1 percent.