The Los Angeles Lakers‘ bench wasn’t the only one standing as Luka Doncic shot to get 60 points. We witnessed one of the master’s greatest performances, and the entire Kaseya Center gave him ‘MVP’ recognition. In that moment, nobody could stop smiling, the Slovenian included. The five-time All-NBA First Team guard didn’t get a chance to process it all until after the game. He had scored 100 points in the last 24 hours, with 40 of those coming in Houston. It was something he hadn’t experienced before.

“It was pretty impressive, especially away game in Miami, you hear the whole crowd chanting MVP,” Doncic told reporters after the game. “I think every player wants to hear. So, I got little goosebumps. So, it was pretty special.”

Road crowds aren’t typically supportive, even if a star puts on a great performance. But this Doncic performance against the Miami Heat was indescribable. Only 24 hours earlier, he dropped a game-high score on the Rockets. Then he turned up in Miami and went on an absolute tear in the second half, dropping 39 of his 60 in that period. His night included everything. Doncic hit daggers, nonchalant triples, and had the Miami defense on a rope.

Bam Adebayo, who scored a team-high 28 points, knew the Slovenian was in that “mode” where no coverage could stop him. Doncic made 18 of his 30 shots and compiled five steals. It was a performance that had Miami fans chanting ‘MVP’ – a conversation Doncic feels strongly about.

Luka Doncic taunts the media for not being in MVP contention

The conversation among fans is shifting, with many now seeing Luka Doncic as a legitimate MVP candidate, especially after these last eight games. When it comes to influencing wins, Doncic is doing it better than anybody. He has scored 30 or more in his last eight games, and the Lakers haven’t lost once. Their last loss came against the Denver Nuggets, when he failed to reach 30 points.

Doncic leads the NBA in scoring and has now pushed the Lakers to be a comfortable third seed. Factor in the injury absences, and it’s undeniable that he deserves to be in the MVP conversation. He already knows who isn’t doing his performances justice.

“That’s you guys, media,” Doncic said with a smirk on his face. “I ain’t got nothing to do with that.”

But the writing is now on the wall. Doncic is averaging a near-career-high 33.4 points per game, and as the season has progressed, his shooting numbers have improved significantly. He is nailing 37% of his threes and made 16 over a two-game span, all while adding 8.4 assists and 1.6 steals per night.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and others deserve equal consideration. So does Cade Cunningham, but his chances to win are now in jeopardy after a lung injury. However, Doncic’s season has gone largely unrecognized because the Lakers went through several inconsistent stretches earlier in the year.

Head coach JJ Redick has pointed to the narrative that he complains too much as another factor working against him. Defense. No matter the reason, though, the numbers and on-court dominance make Doncic’s MVP case impossible to ignore.

As of March 20, Doncic has climbed two spots, moving past Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, and is now second on the KIA MVP ladder, only trailing SGA. The Lakers have 12 games left in the season, and the Slovenian only needs to appear in seven more games to be eligible for the honor.