Luka Doncic’s MVP dreams are taking a hit as injuries keep forcing him to watch from the sidelines. The Dallas Mavericks superstar just missed his second straight game with a nagging heel injury, adding to what’s becoming a frustrating season for the 25-year-old phenom.
When he’s healthy, Doncic is absolutely electric, putting up nearly 29 points per game. But staying on the court has been the real challenge.
The Mavs have actually been doing pretty well without their star player, going 6-2 when he’s out. Saturday night against the Clippers, they got an unexpected boost from Quentin Grimes, who came off the bench to score 20 points. Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in 15 each.
But here’s the thing that’s really worrying Mavs fans: Doncic has already missed eight games this season. That’s a big deal because of the NBA’s new MVP rule.
To even be eligible for the MVP award, players need to appear in at least 65 games. With 54 games left in the season, Doncic can only miss nine more if he wants to stay in the MVP race.
It’s been one thing after another for the Slovenian star. The trouble started back in training camp when a calf injury forced him to miss the entire preseason. Since then, he’s dealt with multiple contusions and a wrist sprain.
The good news? Dallas has enough talent to keep winning without him. The bad news? Doncic’s MVP odds are sliding.
The latest betting odds tell the story:
โข Nikola Jokic leads the pack at +110
โข Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is right there at +250
โข Giannis Antetokounmpo sits at +500
โข Doncic has fallen to +750
Even if he stays healthy from here on out, Doncic’s got some serious catching up to do in the MVP race. But first things first – he needs to get back on the court and stay there.
