NBA MVP Power Rankings: Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rises, who drops?

Fresh off a seven-game winning streak, the Mavericks would head to Indianapolis to play the Indiana Pacers to tip off their four-game road trip. The Mavs were looking to make it an eight-game winning streak, but with a sluggish game against the speedy Pacers, the Mavs would get the door shut on their face 133-111.

A combination of bad defense, bad coaching, and just coming out flat during the matinee game led to the Mavericks' demise. Fans flocked to Twitter to discuss the game, and the overwhelming narrative that led to the loss was how many minutes guard Tim Hardaway Jr. got.

Hardaway Jr. played a rough 23 minutes throughout the game and constantly hacked up bad shots on offense while getting outplayed on defense. Jason Kidd's decision was a bit of a head-scratcher, considering that Jaden Hardy has played some of the best basketball of his career and has seen minimal playing time since returning from the All-Star break.

NBA MVP Power Rankings: Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rises, who drops?

Another reason the Mavericks failed to get the win over the Pacers was the lack of defense. For the first time since the Mavericks made their trade deadline acquisitions, a team has scored over 113 points against Dallas.

The Pacers made their game plan simple yet effective: run out in transition and beat the Mavericks by spreading them out. Pacers center Myles Turner racked up a season-high 33 points due to the Mavericks' lack of effort to defend the pick-and-pop.

Despite the gut-wrenching loss for Dallas, guards Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic still proved why they are in contention for the best duo in the NBA. Doncic finished with 33 points, while Irving finished with 29 points after a timely run early in the fourth.

How will this loss fair for Doncic and his MVP race? Let's take a look at this week's MVP Power Rankings.

10. Steph Curry

Last week's rank: N/A

Steph Curry eclipses the top 10 for the first time this season after the Warriors had the best stretch of their season. Expect Curry to rise if the Warriors can continue to dominate.

9. Donovan Mitchell

Last week's rank: 9

Donovan Mitchell remains in ninth after the Cavaliers failed to make noise in the last few games. Since the All-Star break, the Cavs are 1-2, and Mitchell's injury has been a huge reason why. If Mitchell can return soon and the Cavs get back to winning, expect his name to rise.

8. Devin Booker

Last week's rank: 8

Despite the Suns' recent struggles, Devin Booker has played outstanding for them. He has become the team's leading ball handler and has flourished in his new role.

7. Kawhi Leonard

Last week's rank: 4

The Clippers have run into one of their first roadblocks since early December. If they can start winning again, expect Kawhi Leonard to rise.

6. Domantas Sabonis

Last week's rank: 7

Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings have rekindled their season by winning three straight out of the break. After getting snubbed from an All-Star selection, Sabonis has made it his mission to prove doubters wrong.

5. Jayson Tatum

Last week's rank: 6

Jayson Tatum reaches the top five for the first time after a multiple-week absence. It's hard to deny what the Celtics have done since the trade deadline, and that includes winning eight games in a row.

The Boston Celtics have now won eight in a row and have won 10 of their last 11 games. Tatum has been a huge reason why the Celtics are so successful, and in his last 10 games, Tatum has averaged 27.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game.

Additionally, the Celtics have now earned the best offense in the league with their 121.2 offensive rating. Leading the league in offensive rating is huge, considering the bulk of their offense is created through Tatum and their starting five.

The Celtics now have the number one offense in the league, but there can also be an argument made that they have the best starting five in the league as well. Guard Derrick White could be considered the Celtics' weakest link on their starting five, but on any other NBA team, he could be a second or third option.

Tatum has also emerged as the Celtics' leader by taking vocal leadership of the locker room and during timeouts. Often, head coach Joe Mazzulla allows Tatum the control of his plays during timeouts in close game scenarios. This is something fans often see with Lebron James.

The Celtics' next game will be against the Philadelphia 76ers on national TV.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Last week's rank: 5

After a rough start to the Doc Rivers era in Milwaukee, the Bucks finally seem to have gotten things back on track by winning two in a row. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a huge reason the Bucks remain in the top three in the Eastern Conference.

Despite the Bucks' lackluster start to the Rivers coaching era, they have largely kept themselves afloat due to the play of their superstar forward. Antetokounmpo has kept the Bucks alive through his spectacular play.

Bucks guard Damien Lillard has struggled through this new transition, but after the All-Star break, he has finally gotten things back on track. Also, Kris Middleton has missed a lot of time with injury but will look to make his return soon. With Middleton back, the Bucks will be at full strength, assuming everyone stays healthy before Middleton makes his return.

Under Rivers, the Bucks have turned themselves into a formidable defensive team, but it has come at the cost of their offense. When Middleton returns and Lillard is knocking down shots, scoring shouldn't be a worry, but for now, it is.

While Adrian Griffin was the head coach in Milwaukee, the Bucks had the opposite problem they have now. The defense was a struggle, while the offense was the best it had been since their 2021 championship season.

Despite losing as of recently, the Bucks are now on a two-game winning streak and have a legit shot at making it four in a row, with their next two games being against the Charlotte Hornets.

3. Luka Doncic

Last week's rank: 2

After losing to the Indiana Pacers in his most recent game, Luka Doncic will drop in this week's ranking after scorching up the leaderboard in the past few weeks.

The Dallas Mavericks were recently on a seven-game winning streak and were being regarded as the hottest team in the league before it all came to an end against the Pacers. The Pacers would beat the Mavs in blowout fashion with a 133-111 win.

Despite losing, the Mavericks have emerged as one of the better teams in the West yet remain in play-in contention. Before the loss to the Pacers, the Mavs were sitting comfortably in sixth place, just half a game back of the New Orleans Pelicans. However, after the loss, they have fallen back down to eighth in the West.

The race to get out of the play-in spots has never been more competitive in the Western Conference, and it seems like every team is catching heat at the right moments. The Mavs are currently three games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for ninth but are just half a game back of the fifth-seeded Sacramento Kings.

Unfortunately for Dallas, their next game will be against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who will likely have Donovan Mitchell back after his multiple-game absence. If Doncic and the Mavs can get a win on the road, that would be huge for their playoff implications.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Last week's rank: 3

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder have emerged as one of the hottest teams in the league by winning five straight and tying the first-place Timberwolves in the West.

Following the blowout loss to the Mavericks right after the trade deadline, the Thunder have gone on a five-game winning streak and have shown no signs of slowing down. Since making the rotational move to get Isaiah Joe more minutes, the Thunder have begun to win more games dominantly.

Joe traditionally hasn't seen a lot of time on the floor, but over the last month and in this five-game winning streak, he has become the team's sixth man by providing perimeter shot-making. Surrounding Shai with outside shot makers has been a critical component for Thunder-winning games, and Joe has fit that mold.

In Shai's last ten games, he has slowed down on an individual basis but has played outstanding for his team. Shai has emerged as a top-five player in this league while also being a great teammate and not forcing anything in the process.

It's clear to see that Shai's top objective is to win games, and that's exactly what they have done. During this five-game run, they have blown out the LA Clippers and have also gotten a win over the Sacramento Kings. Shai and the Thunder have a good opportunity to win seven in a row as they play the Rockets once again and the Spurs in the next few days.

1. Nikola Jokic

Last week's rank: 1

Nikola Jokic has begun to run away with this year's MVP award, and this week may have been the separator. After multiple impressive triple-doubles, Jokic will remain first in this week's MVP Power Ranking.

Jokic has now recorded three triple-doubles in a row, and all three have led to massive Nugget wins in the process. The first of the three was an impressive 21/19/15 game against the Washington Wizards. This stat line was impressive because Jokic also didn't miss a shot the whole game.

The second of the three led to a 127-112 win over the Portland Trailblazers, where Jokic dropped 29 points. He also had a big defensive game, with two steals and a block in the process.

The third and final triple-double was against the Golden State Warriors on the road, where the Nuggets would end up winning 119-103. This stretch of play by Jokic has elevated the Nuggets to third in the West and just a game and a half behind the two leaders.

This dominant stretch couldn't come at a better time for the Nuggets as they try and make their post-All-Star break run. Since the break, the Nuggets are 3-0 and haven't allowed more than 112 points in the process.

The Denver Nuggets will look to add to their win streak with their next game against the Sacramento Kings. For more updates on this season's MVP race and Dallas Mavericks basketball, stay plugged in.