The NBA MVP race is tightening with just a few weeks to go in the regular season, even though Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains a sizable favorite.
SGA has come down to -800 to win his second consecutive MVP award in the latest betting odds, giving Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic, San Antonio Spurs two-way menace Victor Wembanyama and Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic a chance to swoop in and win this award down the stretch of the regular season.
Now, SGA is still the clear favorite – his -800 odds translate to an implied probability of 88.89 percent – but there is momentum building for the other three players to potentially steal a first place vote or two.
Doncic has gone from fifth in the NBA voting just a few weeks ago all the way down to second at +1000. The Lakers have won nine of their last 10 games, surging to the No. 3 spot in the West, which has certainly improved Doncic’s case.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama’s odds continue to climb after a monster game on Monday against the Miami Heat. On Tuesday, I wrote about Wemby’s odds shortening in this market, but they moved even more overnight.
The Spurs star went from +2200 to +1300 even though his team did not play a game on Tuesday. The growing momentum for Wembanyama is interesting since the Spurs are the only team in the West that has a real shot of catching the Thunder in the standings for the No. 1 seed.
Jokic is a distant fourth in the odds, but he did move up from +4000 to +3500 after dropping a 23-point, 17-rebound, 17-assist triple-double in a win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Jokic’s MVP case has been damaged by injury and the Nuggets’ fall in the standings, but he’s averaging a triple-double with some wild efficiency stats.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Docic, Wembanyama and Jokic are all in action on Wednesday night, which could lead to more changes in the MVP odds by Thursday. Bettors should know that a bet on anyone not-named SGA is a serious long shot this late in the season, but it’s interesting that oddsmakers have continued to shorten his odds with Doncic and Wembanyama really coming on strong since the All-Star break.
NBA MVP Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: -800
- Luka Doncic: +1000
- Victor Wembanyama: +1300
- Nikola Jokic: +3500
- Jaylen Brown: +15000
- Donovan Mitchell: +50000
- Kawhi Leonard: +100000
- Jalen Brunson: +100000
- Anthony Edwards: +100000
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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