- Kevin Durant (+600) now has the second-best odds of any player to win NBA MVP this season
- Luka Doncic (+450) holds steady as early MVP favorite
- Antetokounmpo’s odds slip to +700
While Luka Doncic is still the betting frontrunner to earn NBA MVP honors this season, we have seen a notable change near the top of the odds leaderboard. Following the Brooklyn Nets’ dramatic win over the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week, Kevin Durant has suddenly overtaken Giannis Antetokounmpo to become second-favorite in the MVP race behind Doncic.
Durant’s odds improved to +600, while Antetokounmpo dropped to +700. Doncic’s odds have held steady at +450. Durant, who is playing for the first time since tearing his ACL in the 2019 Finals as a member of the Warriors, has looked no worse for the wear post-injury. The 32-year-old former MVP is averaging 30.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game for a Brooklyn team that has serious championship aspirations.
Star-Studded Nets
Durant’s scoring average is his highest in a season since averaging 32 points per game with Oklahoma City in 2013-14. KD won MVP that season for his exploits in leading the Thunder to one of the best records in the Western Conference. Durant scored 30 points along with nine rebounds in Brooklyn’s 125-123 win over Antetokounmpo and the Bucks earlier this week.
While Durant has been an impressive NBA player to bet on, it’s fair to assume his scoring average will take a hit moving forward. On Wednesday, Durant will play alongside both Kyrie Irving and James Harden for the first time as Irving gets set to return from his lengthy absence. Harden arrived last week in a blockbuster trade from Houston.
The Nets are off to a so-so 9-6 start, but most expect Brooklyn to challenge Milwaukee for the top seed in the Eastern Conference by the time the playoffs roll around. Following last week’s trade, the Nets (+275) moved past Milwaukee (+700) for the best odds of any Eastern Conference team to win this year’s championship.
Antetokounmpo’s Odds Fade
Antetokounmpo lost ground in the MVP race despite the Bucks (9-5) having a better record than the Nets. Antetokounmpo, who has won the MVP in each of the last two seasons, is averaging 27.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and better than five assists per game. The Greek Freak was the wire-to-wire favorite to win his second straight MVP award a season ago, but he began the season as second-favorite behind Doncic.
While Luka has played well, the Mavericks have endured a rough start to the campaign. Doncic is nearly averaging a triple-double through the first 12 games of the new season, but his Mavs enter play Wednesday with an underwhelming 6-7 record. Dallas will have to turn things around before long if Doncic is to remain the odds-on MVP favorite. The last time a player from a non-playoff team won the NBA’s MVP award was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in 1976.
LeBron James (+750), Nikola Jokic (+750), Stephen Curry (+900), and Joel Embiid (+1000) are also listed among the early MVP favorites.
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
