LeBron James Emerges As New Favorite in MVP Betting

LeBron James got pissed when one Cleveland Cavaliers front office member celebrated his missed shot at the end of the third quarter. James said the official got too excited, and James made the team pay in the 4th.

“He was a little bit too excited about seeing me miss. … The good thing for him is I only come here once.”

LeBron says a member of the Cavs front office celebrated after he missed the shot at the end of the third.

Bron went on to score 21 in the fourth 😳 pic.twitter.com/sYwgGyvO7R

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 26, 2021

The King scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to finish his return to his former home court with 46 points on 19-26 shooting including 7-11 from three-point territory. James knocked down three triples during a six-possession stretch in 4th that left the Cavs helpless on defense. The Lakers won the game 115-108 to record their 10th straight road win to start the season.

With his performance, James became the 5th player in league history to score at least 46 points at age 36 or older, joining Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Jamal Crawford. James also moved up the odds board as the new MVP favorite in several top NBA betting sites.

New Betting Favorite to Win MVP

After his 46-point outburst last Monday, James became the new 4-1 betting favorite to win the 2021 NBA MVP award at the Las Vegas Sportsbook. James is also now a 5-1 co-favorite with Luka Doncic at DraftKings and is second behind the Slovenian sensation at 3-1 at William Hill. The Lakers’ superstar began the season in the Top 6 in the MVP betting and was as high as 14-1 but has continued to climb the odds board by an unexpected commitment to the regular season which has helped the Lakers to the best record in the NBA as of Wednesday’s games.

It can be recalled that James was one of those who opposed a December 2020 start to the season because it was too early, especially after the Lakers played in the championship which ended on October 12th of last year. It was believed that James would take some games off during the regular season to preserve his aging body for another championship run. But that has not been the case.

James has played in all of the Lakers’ first 18 games of the season and unlike last year where he let Anthony Davis do the heavy lifting in scoring, James has taken charge this season, especially with Davis off to a slower start than expected. As of Wednesday, James is averaging 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game while playing 32.7 minutes per outing and we’ve seen him carry the Lakers on offense in several close games, Monday’s game against the Cavs included.

Promise Delivered

Last season, James delivered on his promise to put the Los Angeles Lakers back on top of the NBA world by winning the franchise’s 17th NBA title, putting them in a tie with the Boston Celtics for most championships won by a franchise. But the job is not yet done. With Anthony Davis not yet even in his prime, and LeBron James still among the top players in the league, the Lakers are attempting to win back to back titles this season.

NBA betting sites have listed the Lakers as the betting favorites to win the 2021 NBA title. Los Angeles is currently a +225 odds on favorite at SportsBetting.ag with the James Harden-backed up Brooklyn Nets coming in second at +340 and the Lakers’ cross-town rival Clippers ranking third at +550. But while the Lakers have been the favorites since the betting lines for the 2021 championship have opened, James’ rise in the MVP ladder wasn’t expected.

This was supposed to be Anthony Davis’ big year after the Brow finished runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. James had made it clear that the Lakers’ are Davis’ team and that he’s in Tinseltown to win titles, not individual awards. However, with the addition of Dennis Schroder, James’ load as the primary playmaker of the team has been eased and he’s been able to focus on other facets of the game like scoring, which has led him to the top of the MVP ladder.