The NBA regular season wears on, with most of the 30 teams hitting the 50-game mark of their 72-game schedule. The race to this year’s playoffs remains tight in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference standings. Another tight race when it comes to betting NBA futures is for this season’s league MVP. As a top online book for betting NBA futures and props, BetOnline has narrowed its updated list to just seven different players as follows:
2021 NBA Most Valuable Player Betting Odds
- Nikola Jokic -130
- James Harden +375
- Joel Embiid +600
- Giannis Antetokounmpo +700
- LeBron James +1200
- Damian Lillard +1400
- Luka Doncic +1400
Beyond the top three players on this board, any other bet is a reach at best. There are still enough games left to play to make a move. However, getting past all three of the players at the top of this list will be a tall task no matter how great the rest of these superstars play over the next month or so.
Jokic has made himself the frontrunner while guiding the Denver Nuggets to a 31-18 record in their first 49 games. His team currently has a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth place in the Western Conference standings. With Denver riding a current five-game winning streak, Jokic continues to capture the attention of the voters for this award. He has exceeded his season scoring average (26.4 points) in each of those victories. Over his last ten games, that average has climbed to 30.9 points per game.
If Jokic continues at this pace over 23 more games, he will be tough to beat if Denver also wins the majority of those contests. Harden is always going to add value to his MVP odds as one of the NBA’s top players. What makes him an attractive play in this bet are the numbers he continues to put up for the Brooklyn Nets with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the same roster. As a team player, Harden leads the NBA in assists this season with 11.1. Even with all the star power on this team, he is also averaging 25.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. However, the Nets adding LaMarcus Aldridge could cut into these gaudy numbers a bit.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been the frontrunners in the Eastern Conference standings all season long. However, a 6-4 record over their last ten games have them tied with Brooklyn for first place at 34-16. The Milwaukee Bucks (32-17) are just a game and a half off the pace.
Joel Embiid is a big reason why the 76ers have been able to set the pace in the East since their season opener. However, missing ten games due to a leg injury placed him out of sight and out of mind with the voters in the MVP race. That all changed with his 24 points in a recent victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves in his first game back. If he can quickly return to form over his team’s final 22 games, Embiid could regain the momentum that had him favored to win this award at the All-Star break.
Philly and Brooklyn should continue to battle it out for the No. 1 seed in the East. A wager on Embiid at his current odds would provide a relatively attractive return.
