According to the odds, Nikola Jokic is still way behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in MVP race.
On Friday March 7, Nikola Jokic wrote his name in the history books against the Phoenix Suns. He recorded the first ever 30/20/20 game in the history of the NBA. Jokic ended the game with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 22 assists, leading the Nuggets to an OT victory over the Suns. However, according to the odds, Nikola Jokic is still way behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in MVP race.
This matchup single handedly played a major role in shifting the odds for the MVP. Shai was a -700 favorite coming into Friday’s games and Jokic was +425, according to BetMGM. However, as Joker dropped a historic performance, the odds shifted to –300 for Shai and +220 for Jokic, according to BetMGM.
Nikola Jokic is averaging 28.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game. He is also shooting career-high 43.9% from 4.4 three-point attempts per game. One of the best seasons in NBA history and Jokic is still trailing Shai for the MVP award. He started as the favorites alongside Luka Doncic with +380 odds to win the MVP.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging career-high 32.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. He is shooting 52.6% from the field and 89.8% from the free-throw line. He was the third favorite to win the MVP award at the start of the season with +550 odds. However, since January, Shai has consistently improved his odds and cemented himself as the favorite.
Around 20 games to go, the MVP race will go down to the wire. With Jokic being a triple-double threat and Shai being an unstoppable offensive force, the MVP race will go down as one of the best in history.
With his historic performance against the Phoenix Suns, Nikola Jokic has broken Wilt Chamberlain 56+ years record. He recorded 22 assists against the Suns which is most by a center since Wilt Chamberlain’s 21 in 1968. This is also Nikola Jokic’s first game with 20 assists in his career.
Nikola Jokic is the only center alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with to have 5000+ assists in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ended his career with 5660 assists in 1560 games. On the other hand Jokic has close to 5300 in only 732 games and can break Kareem’s record in just over half of his games played.
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