The NBA is having one of the strongest MVP races in league history through a couple of months of play so far. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic have been considered the two strong favorites since the start of the season. Both men rotated the top betting favorite spot in the first month until Gilgeous-Alexander took a strong lead.
Team success for the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder led to the race looking to be in his favor if the team could continue winning at a dominant level. However, a couple of weeks have seen a lot changing for Jokic to pass SGA as the current betting favorite to take home the top prize.
Oddschecker uses various sites to show the average betting odds for the current MVP favorites:
Nikola Jokic: +115
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: +135
Luka Doncic: +650
Cade Cunningham: +8000
Victor Wembanyama: +10,000
Jalen Brunson: +15,000
The race still sees two names strong above the rest, with Luka Doncic as a distant third favorite. None of the other names have a realistic chance unless Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander fall into bad luck of missed games or their teams completely fall apart.
Why Shai Fell Lower In Odds
The San Antonio Spurs are the biggest reason for Gilgeous-Alexander falling in the MVP odds. San Antonio scoring three major victories over Oklahoma City lowered the historic win pace that the Thunder started with. Many fans and pundits discussed the Thunder not only breaking the Golden State Warriors 73-9 record, but some said they’d get over 75 wins.
Three losses in a short time to one team shows that even the battle-tested Oklahoma City roster is not bulletproof. The Spurs have exposed some flaws for the Thunder and put their record closer to the other top teams. Jokic’s Nuggets are only a handful of games behind Oklahoma City to improve his MVP chances.
The overall play of Jokic also requires him to do more with the Denver Nuggets having three starters out due to injuries. Jokic’s 50-point triple double performance on Christmas night also leaned more momentum towards him at the same time Shai is expiring some negative moments for the first time this season.
Can Shai Still Win The MVP?
The betting odds show that Gilgeous-Alexander still has a great shot at the MVP. Jokic and Shai remain closely together in the favorite betting odds, with Luka having a lot of work to even realistically enter the race. Jokic taking the lead means it’s still a back-and-forth race between the two superstars.
Oklahoma City still holds the best record in the league and has a great chance at 70+ wins to help his case. However, the dominance must return for the Thunder to continue their dreams of having a historically great season in the record books.
Denver’s overall team success is the other variable since Jokic will always put up the best stats. A 30-point triple double average certainly helps Jokic’s case, but the Nuggets must continue winning against the odds of their injuries. Both players have a relatively equal chance to win the MVP Award with the race wide open for Jokic and SGA.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Shai Gilgeous-Alexander No Longer Betting Favorite For MVP appeared first on Heavy Sports.