Luka Dončić Gets NBA MVP Hype from Fans as Mavs Beat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Luka Dončić nearly dropped a triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 146-111 on Saturday afternoon.

Dončić scored 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out nine assists against a Thunder team that entered the game with the second-best record in the Western Conference. He shot 9-of-14 from the floor, connecting on four of his eight attempts from behind the arc.

Kyrie Irving put up 25 points and eight assists of his own, shooting 57.9 percent in his 33 minutes of action.

Dallas' trade deadline moves already seem to be paying off, as P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford were both impactful off the bench in their Dallas debuts. Washington put up 14 points and five rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting, while Gafford racked up 19 points and nine rebounds to go along with a block in just 17 minutes on the floor.

Fans were impressed with Dončić specifically, as the 24-year-old has now scored at least 30 points in 12 of his past 14 appearances.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored an efficient 25 points, connecting on nine of his 16 field-goal attempts. However, he was only able to record five assists compared to three turnovers while the Thunder shot 39 percent from the floor as a team.

The Mavericks have won four games in a row and hold the No. 8 seed in the West. If they continue to climb the standings while Dončić maintains his superb play, he's going to warrant serious MVP consideration.