Luka Doncic walked to the free throw line with 14.8 seconds left Thursday night in Miami needing one make to reach 60 points. The Heat crowd at Kaseya Center began chanting “MVP” for the visiting star. He missed the first attempt, stepped away from the line, smiled, then drained the second.
The Los Angeles Lakers won 134-126 for their eighth straight victory, and the basketball world spent the rest of the night talking about nothing else.
Luka Doncic Puts on a Show
“It was pretty impressive, especially an away game in Miami,” Doncic said after the game. “You hear the whole crowd chanting, ‘MVP,’ that’s what I think every player wants to hear. … I got a lot of goosebumps, so it was pretty special.”
His final line: 60 points on 18-for-30 shooting, 9-for-17 from three, seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals. That made Doncic the first Laker to score 60 in a single game since Kobe Bryant’s career finale on April 13, 2016 — and the highest-scoring opponent in the history of Kaseya Center. It was also the fourth 60-point, 5-steal performance in NBA history, alongside James Harden (2019), Allen Iverson (2005), and Michael Jordan (1993). During the eight-game win streak, Doncic is averaging 36.9 points per game.
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Coach JJ Redick stated the MVP case before the game and doubled down after it.
“He’s playing as well as anyone in basketball,” Redick said. “He’s really elevated his play at a really important time for our team. He’s elevated the play of his teammates. I think there’s a trust level that we all have — coaches, teammates — with him closing games for us. He’s been fantastic, and I think he’s one of the best and should be in the MVP conversation.”
Asked why some media voices remain reluctant to push Doncic’s candidacy, Redick was sardonic. “Because he complains to the refs,” he said. “I don’t know.”
Kobe and Luka both hit their 60th point with 14.8 left in the 4th 🤯 https://t.co/EiUVwJuF2a pic.twitter.com/kP1lMmSfD7
— NBA (@NBA) March 20, 2026
Austin Reaves kept the argument brief. “Leading the league in scoring,” Reaves said of Doncic. “I said to somebody he was leading the league in a lot of things. [The Lakers are] third in the West. I don’t know. I couldn’t see a reason why he’s not, so I don’t really know.”
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a game earlier this month, a performance that drew criticism over the number of free throws he attempted. After watching Doncic pour in 60 from the other side of the floor, Adebayo acknowledged the difficulty.
“He hit some tough shots out there,” Adebayo said. “It is what it is. I know what it’s like to be in that mode. As people can see, it’s not easy to get 80. He made some tough shots.”
Doncic had his own take on the moment the buzzer sounded and his teammates mobbed him at center court.
“I mean, that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “You see everybody celebrating on the bench … it shows that we care a lot about each other. And that’s what great teams do. Just makes my heart happy seeing them celebrate my 60-point game.”
LeBron James Fires Back at Critics
LeBron James finished Thursday’s game with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, starting the contest 7-for-7 from the field. He also tied Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish for the most regular-season games played in NBA history. Then, James addressed the critics directly.
During his injury absence earlier this season, a vocal segment of media argued the Lakers looked better without him. James did not let that sit.
“I was out a couple weeks ago, and I was able to come back and see how I fit best with those guys [Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves] because they were playing so dynamic off one another,” James said.
“But I mean, it sells papers a lot easier and clippings and podcasts if you say their team is better off without LeBron. That’s how a lot of people try to view it, so I get it. They’re absolutely wrong.”
Doncic, James, and the Lakers will look to continue their red-hot play on Saturday when they face the Magic in Orlando.
