Nikola Jokic Continues to Move Up the MVP Oddsboard

Saturday night was a special one in the NBA with multiple players scoring at least 50-points on the same night.

Prior to Saturday, there had only been two instances when that happened. On April 9, 1978, George Gervin and David Thompson were the first to accomplish the feat. Then on November 8, 2019, D’Angelo Russell and Damian Lillard also scored at least 50 points on the same night.

On Saturday night, it was Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic who joined the record books. Curry put up 57 points in a losing effort against the Dallas Mavericks. Meanwhile, Jokic scored a career-high 50 in a 119-114 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

But while the Nuggets dropped a second straight game, Jokic continued to move up the MVP odds board with his second game of 47+ points in his last three outings.

Moving Up the Oddsboard

Nikola Jokic started the season outside the Top 10 in the MVP odds board with most of the best NBA betting sites listing Denver’s unicorn at the 12th spot. But as every week passed, Jokic has climbed the NBA ladder. And after he was named as the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month for the second straight month, his odds continued to shorten.

Odds to win NBA MVP (BetOnline):@KingJames +175

Jokic +275

Embiid +550

Durant +600

Doncic +750

Curry +1000

Antetokounmpo +1400

Lillard +2800

A.Davis +3300

Leonard +3500

Harden +4000#Lakeshow #WashedKing #LBJ pic.twitter.com/X1y5evhB9F

— ShowtimeForum (@ShowtimeForum) February 6, 2021

Jokic’s MVP odds got another boost with Saturday’s career-night. While the Nuggets have tumbled in the team standings with back to back losses to the Lakers and Kings on the road, Jokic’s MVP chances continued to soar. As of the latest odds at online sportsbook BetOnline, Jokic is now ranked second to LeBron James in the current odds board.

King James’ recent run of dominance in Los Angeles has put him on top of the odds board at +175. James was expected to cruise during the regular season to preserve his body for another championship run. However, Anthony Davis’ recent struggles have forced James to take over for the Lakers early on. He’s also taken over the MVP odds board in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the Joker’s strong start to the 2020-21 season has enabled him to move next to the King at +275 in the odds boards, overtaking the likes of Joel Embiid (+550), Kevin Durant (+600), Luka Doncic (+750) Stephen Curry (+1000), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1400).

Making a Run at the MVP Award

Jokic is having the best season of his NBA career. The 25-year old Serbian is averaging a career-best 27.2 points per game on 56.9% shooting from the field and 39.2% from deep. Aside from his increased scoring, he is also averaging 11.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game this season.

Nikola Jokic continues his run at MVP

50 PTS (career-high)

12 AST

8 REB

3 BLK

20-33 FG pic.twitter.com/QBKXyY0FwV

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 7, 2021

With his 50-point outburst, Jokic became the first center in the NBA to score 50 points and drop 10 assists since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on January 19, 1975. He also became only the 7th place in the Denver Nuggets franchise to top the 50-point mark after David Thompson, Michael Adams, Alex English, Allen Iverson, Mahmoud Abdu-Rauf, Kiki Vandeweghe, and Carmelo Anthony.

On Saturday, Jokic shot 22-33 from the field including 3-6 from behind the three-point arc. He turned the ball over just once in 41 minutes of action while also issuing seven assists. Jokic also blocked three shots and had one steal but unfortunately, the Nuggets lost to the Kings and dropped their second straight games to fall to 12-10 on the season.

There’s no question that Jokic is making a run at the MVP award with how he’s started the season. He has been named as the Western Conference’s best player in each of the first two months of the season, the first time he’s accomplished the feat. It’s still too early in the season but if the Nuggets make another run at the title, look for Jokic to be among the frontrunners to win the 2021 NBA MVP award.