The NBA MVP debate is already heating up. One of the favorites, Dallas’ Luka Doncic, has said that he should not be a part of the conversation because of the struggles Dallas is having even to stay at the .500 mark. However, it’s not Luka’s offense that is the problem — it’s the injuries and COVID-19 absences, as well as a teamwide failure to play consistent defense. James Harden joined a Big Three in Brooklyn, but the hard part of evaluating players in that situation is choosing which of the three is the real MVP.
Let’s look at the NBA betting odds for the contenders, along with thoughts on some of the top players.
NBA News: Updated Regular Season MVP Odds
| Team | Odds |
| LeBron James (L.A. Lakers) | + 130 |
| Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) | + 330 |
| Nikola Jokic (Denver) | + 600 |
| Luka Doncic (Dallas), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) | + 1100 |
| Stephen Curry (Golden State) | + 1200 |
| Kevin Durant (Brooklyn) | + 1800 |
| James Harden (Brooklyn), Damian Lillard (Portland) | + 2000 |
| Kawhi Leonard (L.A. Clippers) | + 3300 |
| Donovan Mitchell (Utah) | + 4000 |
| Jayson Tatum (Boston), Paul George (L.A. Clippers) | + 8000 |
| Anthony Davis (L.A. Lakers), Ja Morant (Memphis), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando), Trae Young (Atlanta), Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn), Devin Booker (Phoenix) | + 10000 |
Joel Embiid is putting up career numbers, with 30.5 points, 11.0 boards and 3.2 assists per game through the team’s first 30 contests. The Sixers were 20-10 at that point. He is shooting 54.7 percent from the floor overall, 40.0 percent from behind the arc, and 85.3 percent from the free throw line, all career bests. His turnovers are down, his passes are better, and when he is in the game and on, he is an offensive powerhouse. Finally, the 7-footer who has been plagued by foot and back injuries his entire career is putting together a complete season. It will be interesting to see how the 76ers play down the stretch, though, as they have dropped four in a row away from Wells Fargo Center and are fading even before the All-Star break.
LeBron James just became the third NBA player ever to score 35,000 points, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. With Anthony Davis out for at least four weeks, and with Dennis Schroder currently out (COVID-19 protocols), James has a ton to carry on his back. On Thursday, James put up 32 points, eight boards and seven assists against Brooklyn, but the Lakers lost by 11 points. Still, the Lakers are 5-2 this season without AD, and James is playing ageless basketball at this point.
Damian Lillard has the Trail Blazers winning games despite the fact that C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic are on the shelf with injuries. In the last five minutes of games separated by no more than five points (the NBA’s definition of “clutch time” for statistical purposes), he has led the team to 12 wins in 15 games, and he has made 58.8 percent of his three-balls in those situations. For some reason, fans didn’t vote him an All-Star starter, but if the Trail Blazers can make noise down the stretch, he will be right there in the MVP conversation.
Stephen Curry has the undermanned Golden State Warriors on his back, as he carried them to an overtime win over Miami last week. In the ten games previous to that contest, he was shooting 51 percent from behind the arc; against Miami, he set a career best for missed three-pointers in a game (15), but he didn’t stop shooting and ended up keying the OT win. MVP voters look more at impact than they do at raw numbers, and Curry is bringing the impact.
Nikola Jokic is seeing his MVP chances slip a bit, not just because the Nuggets have lost several games recently, but also because they are losing the battle in the paint. You can’t be an MVP center when your team is getting outrebounded and giving up too many second chance points. Jokic needs help inside — and he needs to boost his own work too.
NBA Betting Odds
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