LOS ANGELES — If there was a leading candidate for MVP of the league, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is firmly in the thick of it. The 2026-27 campaign is only two weeks young, but Doncic has dominated the first couple of weeks enough that even Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken notice.

The new Miami Heat became another victim to the Slovenian superstar's stellar play on Monday night, as Doncic dropped 42 points, seven rebounds, 13 assists, and two steals while shooting 14-of-24 from the field and 6-of-15 from three. It marked the fifth consecutive game that Doncic has 37 or more points, and he's been doing it on 53.2 percent shooting from the field, 44.7 percent from three, and 89.1 percent from the free throw line, a place he's historically struggled.

Following the Lakers' drubbing of the Heat on Monday night, a 138-117 LA victory, Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't help but praise Doncic, who is now averaging 38.3 points and over 8.1 assists.

“I try not to follow the race and stuff like that and try to focus on what I can do and my team and how can we get better,” Antetokounmpo started. “But is he an MVP caliber player? I think no doubt. He's been up there. He's definitely up there this year. Like, what he's doing is incredible. Not only that, but his team is winning. Their offense is good, everybody is being involved. They're in a good place right now. The guy is averaging 38 and his team is winning, he's definitely got to be in the MVP discussion.”

The Heat watched as Doncic repeatedly dissected their defense, finding scoring opportunities for himself or finding the open man out of double-teams. And then, of course, there were some absolutely bonkers shots that can only be described as, “Luka Magic.”

Antetokounmpo was asked by a member of the Heat's beat writing crew how Doncic was allowed to go off for 42 points with 13 assists leading to 31 points.

“When you have a guy like Luka, obviously he's one of the best scorers to ever play this game, if not the best,” Giannis Antetokounmpo added before being cut off.

“Right now,” a reporter interjected.

“Not right now,” Antetokounmpo responded, shaking his head. “Not right now. Like, of all time. I feel like some people are scared to say that, but he's got to be up there.

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“He's also an elite passer. When you have teammates that are decisive whenever he passes them the ball, it wasn't like they weren't aggressive. They tried to go downhill, tried to get their own shots, and it just makes the game easier for everybody. You can see the message, after every double team, he's telling them, ‘hey, be aggressive, get downhill.' and that fulled those players up with confidence. Sometimes you try to take something away. What I'll say we didn't do a good enough job is that we didn't take his game away. But hopefully we can be better.”

The Lakers currently boast a 6-2 record, sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference. They've got matchups against the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers rounding out this week before embarking on a four-game road trip.

As it stands, Luka Doncic currently leads in the NBA in scoring, a whopping give points higher than the next player, Anthony Edwards, at 33.3 points a night. He also ranks fourth in assists per game, showcasing his incredible offensive package and vision to start this new season.