With a little more than two weeks left in the NBA regular season, Nikola Jokic is running away with the MVP race.
The Denver Nuggets are on a hot streak, having won 15 of their last 18 games and currently hold a half-game lead for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Jokic has been sensational during the run, averaging 26.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists throughout the season.
As a result, his odds to win MVP have shortened to -1100 from -270 from last week.
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FOX Sports NBA analyst Ric Bucher marveled at Jokic’s play in early March.
“As it stands, Jokic has only tightened his grip on the No. 1 rung since he grabbed it in the last ranking, leading Denver to a post-All-Star break 10-1 record that has vaulted them into a back-and-forth battle with the Thunder for first place in the Western Conference,” Bucher wrote. “The Nuggets, collectively, have honed their focus since the break, but no one has done so more than Jokic, who has dished out more assists (8.9 to 10.2) and grabbed more rebounds (12 to 13.6) while shooting better than 60% from the field and 90% from the free-throw line.”
“Not surprisingly, his offensive rating jumped from an already stellar 131 to 136 while he ratcheted his defensive rating down from 111 to 104, according to Basketball Reference.”
Let’s take a look at the latest MVP odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
ODDS TO WIN 2023-24 NBA MVP: *
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: -1100 (bet $10 to win $10.91 total)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Luka Doncic, Mavericks: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Jayson Tatum, Celtics: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
* odds as of 3/29/2024
FOX Sports Betting Analyst Jason McIntyre weighed in on the MVP award before the season started (Editor’s Note: Expert’s MVP pick made in July):
Only three players stand out to me early as possibly actionable MVP bets to make for the upcoming season.
Jayson Tatum, Celtics
Having advanced to the conference finals in four of the last six years, the Celtics are one of my favorites to win the title, and Tatum is the primary reason. I’m buying the trade of Marcus Smart as a win for the Celtics and Tatum. It will enable the 25-year-old to be the true leader of this team, something Smart has been since entering the league.
Tatum’s points, rebounds and assists have all gone up each year he’s been in the league, and his 30-8-4 were all career highs last year. A first-team All-NBA player each of the last two seasons, I expect him to win the MVP — and an NBA title.
PICK: Jayson Tatum (+800 at time of pick) to win MVP
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
The two-time MVP is coming off an NBA title, Finals MVP, and the unofficial title of best player in the NBA. He’s the favorite for a third MVP, largely on the heels of an insane playoff run where he averaged 30-12-9 over 20 games and also hit a staggering 46% of 3-pointers. So why not bet on him?
You can’t quantify his desire now that he already has a title and his trophy case has everything. Knowing he’s done it all, will we see him pull back in the regular season to save himself for the postseason? We saw that late last season, and it worked. Either way, he’s the best player in the game, so worth a sprinkle.
PICK: Nikola Jokic (+430 at time of pick) to win MVP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
If I’m looking for a super sleeper to win the MVP next year, it has to be SGA. Having just turned 25, he is coming off an excellent season in which he averaged a career-high 31 points and was first-team All-NBA.
Before you scoff, remember the Sacramento Kings improved by 18 wins last year, and the Thunder might be a breakout candidate, as they look to build on the play-in appearance last year while adding Chet Holmgren to the starting lineup.
PICK: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+1700 at time of pick) to win MVP
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