- Nikola Jokic has moved up to 4th in the latest NBA MVP odds boards.
- The Joker is currently priced in the +700 to +1000 in the latest MVP betting boards.
- Jokic scored 40 points, grabbed 27 rebounds, and issued 10 assists last Sunday against the Charlott Hornets.
The NBA’s MVP race has a new contender. Well, he’s not new as he’s been here before and he has even won the award twice.
Nikola Jokic was the longest preseason favorite to win the NBA MVP award after opening at +2500 odds in 2021. The Joker won the award that year and went on to win MVP honors again last season.
Jokic wasn’t on the oddsmakers’ radar early on this season. But with Denver starting to win games and Jokic making statistical history on the court, he is now one of only 4 players with MVP odds shorter than +1000.
Jokic Makes History
Another MVP-type night for Jokic, he made history with this stat line! 😳🔥
40 points
27 rebounds
10 assists— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) December 19, 2022
Last Sunday, Jokic scored 40 points, grabbed 27 rebounds, and issued 10 assists to carry the Nuggets to a 119-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He sealed Denver’s win with two free throws with 13 seconds left in the game and joined Luka Doncic as the only player in the league this season with a 40-point triple-double.
With Sunday’s stat line, the reigning MVP joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only player in NBA history to put up a stat line of at least 40-27-10 in a single game. Chamberlain did it four times during his career, the last of which was when he scored 53 points, grabbed 32 rebounds, and issued 14 assists for Philadelphia on March 18, 1968.
Many have come close but no one else has posted a 40-27-10 game: Elgin Baylor came close with 52-25-10 on December 13, 1961, while DeMarcus Cousins had 44 points, 23 rebounds, and 10 assists on January 22, 2018. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a 44-20-11 night on February 26, 1972, and Oscar Robertson posted a 42-21-10 game on January 9, 1965.
Jokic leads the league in PER, Win Shares, Offensive Win Shares, Win Shares Per 48 Minutes, Box Plus/Minus, and Defensive Box Plus/Minus. Last season, Jokic posted the highest Player Efficiency Rating by a player in a single NBA season at 32.94. This year, he’s in the same stratosphere at 32.53.
Denver has won 8 out of its last 12 games played and has improved to 18-11 SU on the season. The Nuggets are on top of the Northwest Division team standings and are the current second seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Building a Strong MVP Case
Jokic last 5 games:
40 PTS | 27 REB | 10 AST
25 PTS | 11 REB | 8 AST
43 PTS | 14 REB | 8 AST
31 PTS | 12 REB | 14 AST
33 PTS | 10 REB | 9 ASTBuilding a strong MVP case. pic.twitter.com/w3OXKPBbXo
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 19, 2022
There’s no doubt that with his recent dominant performances, Jokic has been building a strong MVP case for himself. In the history of the NBA, only Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird have won three straight NBA MVP awards. But with Jokic coming on strong, the top sportsbooks are moving him up in the odds boards.
In his last 5 games played, Jokic has averaged 34.4 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per outing. During that span, the Nuggets have gone 4-1 SU. On Monday, the Joker was named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 9 with the team going 2-1 SU during that stretch.
For the season, Jokic is averaging 25.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game. If he keeps up his current pace, his 9.0 assists per game average would be the highest ever for an NBA center in a single season. If Jokic keeps up his current pace, he could zoom to the top of the NBA MVP odds boards.
Just a week ago, Jokic was hovering at the +3000 odds mark in the MVP odds boards. Those numbers shortened to +1900 after Sunday’s historic performance. On Tuesday night, Jokic is listed in the +700 to +1000 odds range, depending on which of the top sportsbooks you are looking at. He is now fourth in the latest betting boards with only Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic.
