Nba Mvp Race Odds
As for former NBA MVPs, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors is fourth on the oddsboard at +1100 and Kevin Durant is sixth at +1800. Odds To Win NBA MVP 2020-21: Luka Doncic The Frontrunner. But it is a close race. Scoring is the important factor for MVP winners. Outside of Stephen Curry in 2014. The race to be first with MVP odds was won by PointsBet, which has back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo the favorite at +350. Giannis is followed by Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks +450, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors (+600), Anthony Davis of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (+700) and James Harden of the Houston. The first half of this strange NBA season is officially in the books, and now is a great time to look at each players’ MVP odds. This year’s MVP race includes some familiar faces, as well as some new candidates whose level of play has reached new heights this season.
In 2020, Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first player to win back-to-back NBA MVP awards since Steph Curry in 2015 and 2016. The Greek Freak will now be looking to make even more history as he seeks a 3-peat. No player has won three MVPs in a row since Celtics legend Larry Bird in the mid-1980s.
Giannis was among the favorites to win the award entering the 2020-21 season but wasn’t THE favorite. That honor went to Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who was +400 at DraftKings Sportsbook at the start of the season. Other players in the mix to win basketball’s most prestigious hardware at the start of the campaign were Steph Curry (+800), Anthony Davis (+900), LeBron James (+900), Kevin Durant (+1200), Damian Lillard (+1600) and Jayson Tatum (+1600).
Here is a look at the current NBA MVP odds from the top US sportsbooks.
NBA MVP odds 2021
NBA MVP futures report (March 4)
NBA MVP odds posted below are from DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Favorites
Joel Embiid (+225): The Sixers are 1-5 with a -9.2 net rating in games Embiid has missed this year and they’re atop the ECF thanks to his dominant numbers (29.8 PPG, 11.3 RPG) when active. They’ve been better against winning teams lately and his performance in those high-profile matchups should dictate his candidacy in the eyes of voters.
LeBron James (+225): LeBron is doing his best to carry the Lakers with Anthony Davis (Achilles) out and several other key players in and out of the lineup. He’s playing 35.5 MPG and averaging 26.6 PPG over his last 12 appearances, but the Lakers are 6-6 during that span and falling out of the race for first place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
Nikola Jokic (+450): The Nuggets offense has caught fire and Jokic is clearly the main reason with his averages of 27.3 PPG, 11 RPG, and 8.6 APG on 57% FG shooting this season. The MVP tracker at Basketball-Reference.com lists Jokic as the overwhelming favorite with a 50.6% chance to take home his first MVP trophy.
The Contenders
Luka Doncic (+1200): The Mavs came out of their 10-day break due to the climate disaster in Texas with a renewed defensive focus and have won 3 of their last 4 games. Doncic continues to percolate with averages of 31.7 PPG, 8 APG, 7.6 RPG while shooting 46.5% from 3-point range over his last 10 appearances.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1600): The Bucks lost 5 straight with Jrue Holiday out due to league COVID protocols and bounced back with 5 straight home wins. Giannis is putting up typically impressive numbers (29.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 5.8 APG) but Milwaukee’s inconsistencies and poor record in close games against quality opponents will make it tough for voters to give him a third straight MVP.
Steph Curry (+1600): Curry enters the All-Star Break in a bit of a shooting slump per his lofty standards. He’s still averaging 26.7 PPG but his shooting 38.4% from the floor and 31.6% from 3-point range over his last 6 outings and the Warriors are 3-3 in that stretch.
Damian Lillard (+2000): With C.J. McCollum (foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) out, Lillard has carried the Blazers to 6 straight wins. And he’s regained his mantle as the most clutch player in the league with the most points (82), and best FG% (63.2%), while going 100% at the FT line and leading Portland to a 12-3 record in close games.
James Harden (+2500): The sharp money should be on Harden for MVP right now with the Lakers, Sixers, and Nuggets all showing inconsistencies, all while the Nets just keep winning. Brooklyn won 10 of their last 11 before the ASB with Harden averaging 27.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 10.6 APG while shooting 46% from 3-point range in that span. He leads the league in APG and has 7 triple doubles this season, including the first since 1978 with 30+ points, 15+ assists, and 0 turnovers.
Kawhi Leonard (+3300): The Clippers simply can’t close out games without Leonard, who is averaging 26.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 4.9 APG on 51.1% FG shooting this season. He’s been more durable than in years past, but has still missed 8 games and his Clippers are just 8-11 against winning teams.
Kevin Durant (+4000): In addition to missing several games due to COVID protocols, Durant has been out 9 games to rest his ailing hamstring. In the meantime, James Harden (+3300) has completely carried the Nets to success and he’s clearly a far better candidate for MVP with appealing odds.
Donovan Mitchell (+10000): If the voters decide to go with the “best player from the best team” route, Mitchell could definitely earn MVP consideration. Utah has been on fire since the first two weeks of the season, but voters could simply crown Rudy Gobert (-200) as Defensive Player of the Year to give the Jazz their due.
Chris Paul (+25000): Devin Booker (+15000) is getting better odds than CP3 to win MVP, but the Suns are on a torrid streak because of Paul’s veteran leadership. If they keep up their league-best performance in the second half and win the West, Paul will be on plenty of ballots.
NBA MVP as a futures bet
Betting on the MVP winner is one of the more popular options for outright bets known as “Futures,” which are usually wagers on a season-long outcome such as the NBA champion, NBA division winner, or individual award winners. It’s also possible to bet Over or Under on Team Win totals, i.e. the number of games a team is expected to win during the regular season.
Odds for futures bets are set during the preseason, but can change throughout the season based on news and results.
For the purposes of MVP betting, players will be listed in order of the favorites. So, Luka Doncic (+410 at FanDuel at the beginning of the season) was considered the favorite to win the award.
These odds refer to the potential payout if the bet is successful. So, a $20 bet on Doncic would only profit $82, whereas a $10 bet on a longshot such as Joel Embiid (+3000) would pay out $310.
Best NBA MVP betting site
Where you can bet on the MVP legally
Sports betting is currently legal at a regulated sportsbook in the following states:
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Mississippi
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Nevada
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
Legislation is on the table in a number of states with more states sure to legalize sports betting in the upcoming years.
Residents of Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have access to online sportsbooks, including the platforms created by industry titans DraftKings and FanDuel. William Hill and other online books also offer great opportunities to bet on NBA games and Futures.
In order to bet on MVP, users can click on the NBA tab and find the tab labeled “Futures” and move to “Player Futures.” Regular Season MVP should be one of the categories along with Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and more postseason awards.
Previous winners and trends
As mentioned above, only two MVP winners in the “modern era” have come from teams that won 50 games or fewer. Additionally, since 1985 only two MVPs have come from teams that failed to finish at least second in their conference.
So the starting point for choosing a good bet is finding the best player on a winning team. Heading into the 2019-2020 season, sportsbooks regarded the Clippers (+325), Lakers (+425), Bucks (+650), 76ers (+700) and Rockets (+800) as the top five contenders for an NBA championship.
But we’re looking at a regular-season award, so consider that the Nuggets (+425) and Jazz (+425) were considered two of the most likely teams to finish first in the Western Conference.
Based on Team Win Totals, the Bucks (56.5), Clippers (56.5), Sixers (53.5), Jazz (53.5), Rockets (52.5) and Nuggets (52.5) were the teams expected to finish the season with over 50 wins and thus have a legitimate MVP candidate.
Because the award is voted upon by sportswriters, a players’ body of work tends to put them over the top. Only four MVP winners were younger than 23 and the last rookie to win the MVP was Wes Unseld back in 1969.
Scoring is a key criteria for MVP, as the NBA’s leading scorer has won the award in four of the past five years.
While the Center position is fading in today’s small-ball NBA, that position leads the way in MVP awards with 25, although 22 of those came in the first 28 years of the award.
Over the last 14 years, guards have won the award eight times, signifying how the NBA has transitioned to a faster-paced, higher-scoring game. The past four guards to win (James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, and Derrick Rose) are not particularly renowned defenders. Posting gaudy offensive numbers can be enough to sway voters.
Shooting guards have won the fewest awards (eight) in the history of the MVP and Michael Jordan snagged five of those trophies.
Since the 1975-76 season, only two players have been named MVP in a season where their team failed to win 50 games. That includes Russell Westbrook in 2016-17, but it has become a rarity for a player from a mediocre team to win the award.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is voted upon by a panel of 100 media members who are not affiliated with any NBA franchises. Each member of the panel casts a vote for first to fifth place selections. Each vote counts incrementally towards a players’ total, with first-place votes netting 10 points and fifth-place votes counting for only 1 point.
In the history of NBA MVP voting, only Curry (2015-16) has received every first-place vote from the entire panel to be named MVP unanimously. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award a record six times and LeBron has won four MVP awards, which makes him the leader among active players.
The first half of this strange NBA season is officially in the books, and now is a great time to look at each players’ MVP odds. This year’s MVP race includes some familiar faces, as well as some new candidates whose level of play has reached new heights this season.
With the second half of the season about to get underway, let’s take a look at some of this season’s MVP favorites.
Odds to win 2021 NBA MVP award
Here is a look at the latest odds to win the 2021 NBA MVP award.
Nba Mvp Race Odds College Football
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Nba Mvp Race Odds Predictions
NBA MVP Odds: The Favorites
Unlike many years, there is no clear favorite at the halfway point of the NBA season to win the MVP award. Instead, there are two players who stand out as the favorites to win the 2021 award. Let’s take a look at the candidates and their odds.
LeBron James MVP Odds
One of those players is four-time MVP, LeBron James, who has led the Lakers to a 24-13 record in the first half of the season. LeBron’s odds (+225) courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook tie him for the lead in this year’s MVP race. While his team has slowed down recently with the absence of Anthony Davis, The King continues to put up MVP numbers.
Joel Embiid MVP Odds
Embiid (+225) is tied for the lead in the MVP race . He has taken a huge step forward this year to become arguably the most dominant big man in the league. Embiid is currently slashing 30/12/3 on 52% shooting and 42% three-point shooting. He is scoring at a career-best pace and is doing so with the greatest efficiency of his career as well. His Sixers also reside in first place in the east with a 24-12 record.
Nikola Jokic MVP Odds
Currently sitting with the third-highest MVP odds (+450), Jokic is another big man who has brought his game to another level. He is currently putting up video game numbers, nearly averaging a triple-double and doing so so on efficient shooting. Unfortunately, Jokic’s Denver Nuggets have not looked like the same team that reached the conference finals in the bubble last season, as they’ve struggled a bit to a 21-15 record. But if Denver gets hot in the second half, look for Jokic’s MVP odds to improve.
NBA MVP Candidates
After Jokic, there is a pretty large drop to the next candidate. After being the preseason favorite, Luka Doncic’s odds have fallen substantially this season (now at +1200), as the Dallas Mavericks struggled out of the gate. After Luka, the next two candidates are a pair of former MVPs in Stephen Curry (+1600) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1600)
NBA MVP History
Here is a look at the NBA MVP award winners since 2000.
Betting Picks for the 2021 NBA MVP Award
Looking for betting picks to win the 2021 NBA MVP? Check out FTNBets' NBA package, with top NBA analysis picking sides, totals, futures, and more.
NBA MVP Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the favorite to win 2021 NBA MVP?
Nba Mvp Race Odds Wild Card
The favorites to win the 2021 NBA MVP are LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
Who won the 2020 NBA MVP?
The winner of the 2020 NBA MVP was Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What are LeBron James’ MVP Odds?
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, LeBron’s odds of winning MVP are +225.
Where can I bet on the NBA MVP?
Depending on your state, you have many options for online sportsbooks. Check out the FTN Prop Shop to ensure you are getting the best odds.
Who has won the most NBA MVP awards?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with six career MVP awards.