Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is distancing himself from the pack, emerging as the clear favourite to win his first NBA MVP award.
The latest: The Canadian is proving he's still at the top of his game, once again leading the Oklahoma City Thunder at the top of the Western Conference standings. Nikola Jokic is second on the odds board, at +400 odds, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum falling to longshot status.
Check out the latest NBA MVP odds.
NBA MVP odds
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Best odds to win NBA MVP
The favourite: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-835)
Gilgeous-Alexander has been a man on a mission this season. More specifically, this past month and a bit.
Take a look at what he's done since the calendar turned:
- Three 50+ point performances.
- Averaging a league-best 34.9 PPG over 19 games.
Beyond piling up points on any given night, Shai is also developing into an elite defender. He holds the best defensive rating (104.3) among players with a minimum of 20 games played.
The OKC star is looking to become the second Canadian to win the award and the first since Steve Nash did it in back-to-back years (2005, 2006).
The Thunder have a commanding 7.5-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 1 seed, as of Feb. 12.
If OKC keeps pace atop the West, he's a shoo-in for his first MVP.
Top MVP contender
Jokic (+400): Jokic etched his name among the all-time greats when he won his third NBA MVP award last season.
He joined an exclusive list of only nine players to win the award three times. And the Denver Nuggets centre now has +400 odds to win his fourth in five years.
If he were to do so, Jokic would join an even tighter-knit group, featuring four players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), LeBron James (four) and Bill Russell (four).
Jokic is averaging career highs in points (29.8) and assists (10.3). He's also shooting a miraculous 45.6% from three, which ranks fifth in the league.
Just when we thought the Serbian superstar couldn't get any better, he did.
NBA MVP notes
- Looking to grow that number of three-time MVP winners is Antetokounmpo. He currently holds +10,000 odds to bring home the honour, after receiving one first-place vote last season. He's currently averaging 31.8 PPG, a career-high mark for The Greek Freak. He has missed 11 games thus far, something worth monitoring if he has individual accolades on his mind.
- Tatum (+50,000) remains the focal point of a star-studded Boston Celtics squad. He's averaging north of 26.9 PPG and has led the Celts to a 38-16 record in the East.
- Victor Wembanyama (+100,000) may not win NBA MVP this year but his time is coming. The Spurs centre is averaging 24.4 PPG and shooting 35.5% from three in 45 games. Defensively, Wemby is the best rim protector in the sport, averaging 11.0 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game.
