Luka Dončić had just been named NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for March, capping the finest individual month of his career. The MVP conversation around him was louder than ever. And then, in the span of one evening in Oklahoma City, everything unraveled.
What Fox Sports’ Nick Wright feared before tip-off became reality by the third quarter, and the path to Dončić’s first MVP award has never looked more uncertain.
Why Nick Wright’s MVP Prediction for Luka Dončić Aged Poorly
Before Thursday’s marquee matchup against the Thunder, Wright drew a sharp and sobering parallel.
“Since 2018, every MVP has led the league or co-led the league in Player of the Month awards … except for in 2024 when Luka led the league and finished a distant third in MVP,” Wright said on X. “Luka is now going to lead the league in Player of the Month awards and again finish a distant third. Sad!”
Since 2018, every MVP has lead the league or co-lead the league in Player of the Month awards… except for in 2024 when Luka lead the league & finished a distant 3rd in MVP.
Luka is now going to lead the league in Player of the Month awards and again finish a distant 3rd. Sad! https://t.co/70NgWNVDIt
— nick wright (@getnickwright) April 2, 2026
Wright’s frustration stemmed from a genuine statistical argument. Earlier that same day, the NBA had officially announced Dončić as the Western Conference Player of the Month for March. It was his second such honor of the season and seventh of his career.
Critically, that made him the only player among the top MVP candidates (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokić) to win the award twice this season.
The month itself was historic by any measure. Dončić averaged 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists during a stretch in which the Lakers went 15-2. He scored 600 points in March alone, joining Michael Jordan as one of just two players in NBA history to achieve the feat for that specific month.
His 13 consecutive 30-point performances included seven 40-point games and two 50-point outings, capped by a Lakers career-high 60-point explosion in Miami. For a six-game road stretch, he became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1986 to average 40-plus points over such a span away from home.
On paper, it was the most dominant regular-season month any player had produced in years. And yet, heading into Thursday’s game, Dončić still sat third in MVP odds behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama, precisely the injustice Wright was lamenting before the opening tip.
How Game 64 Turned into a Nightmare for Dončić’s MVP Hopes
Rather than delivering the statement performance that could have reshuffled MVP ballots, Thursday became the worst possible outcome for Dončić and the Lakers.
Oklahoma City dominated from the opening tip, building a lead that swelled to 43 points by the end of the game. Dončić had limped to the locker room in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury, the same hamstring he had previously strained earlier in the season.
He finished with 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting, 6 turnovers, and 26 minutes played in what was a 139-96 blowout loss. Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, posted 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists while barely breaking a sweat, extending his own record streak of consecutive 20-point games to 137.
The injury now carries consequences beyond the court. Dončić has appeared in 64 games this season and needs one more to meet the NBA’s 65-game threshold for award eligibility.
If the hamstring keeps him out for an extended stretch, he loses not just his MVP case but his All-NBA candidacy entirely. Truly, a staggering price to pay for a player averaging a league-best 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.
Wright’s pregame observation, meant as a critique of the MVP voting system, instead became an inadvertent preview of a far more painful reality. Dončić did not just risk finishing third in MVP voting: He now risks not being on the ballot at all.
