The NBA on Monday named Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic the Western Conference Player of the Month for March, marking the seventh time in his career—and the second time this season—that he has collected the honor.
Doncic finished the month with averages of 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals while hitting 49.2 percent of his shots and 39.2 percent of his three-point attempts. He reached the 30-point plateau in 13 straight games and recorded at least 40 points in each of the Lakers’ last three contests.
The Slovenian star’s most prolific performance came on March 16 in Miami, where he poured in 60 points on 18-of-30 shooting—nine of them from beyond the arc—along with seven rebounds, three assists and five steals during the second night of a back-to-back. One week earlier, he recorded 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against the Chicago Bulls, narrowly missing a 50-point triple-double. He followed that effort by sinking the game-winning shot with less than one second remaining in overtime to defeat the Denver Nuggets.
Doncic’s scoring surge rewrote parts of the Lakers’ record book. He surpassed Kobe Bryant’s franchise mark for most points in any March and became only the second player in NBA history, alongside Michael Jordan, to tally 600 points in the month.
The Lakers went 15-2 during the stretch, including a nine-game winning streak and victories over playoff contenders such as Denver, the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Doncic has repeatedly noted that his production carries greater weight because it coincides with team success.
With his individual résumé growing, Doncic’s name remains prominent in the league’s MVP race. Head coach JJ Redick has publicly stated that the guard should claim the award if he maintains his current level of play and the Lakers finish the season strong.
Source: Lakers Nation
