National Basketball Association

NBA odds: How Nikola Jokic’s MVP odds moved this season

Updated May. 12, 2022 11:51 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

With the NBA playoffs deep into the Conference Semifinals, the biggest individual award has been announced! Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was named the Most Valuable Player of the Association for the second year in a row.

The big man dazzled with 27.1 points, 13.8 boards and 7.9 assists a game as he led his injury-depleted squad to the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference. He is also the first Serbian, Denver Nugget and second-round pick to win the award. Given this historic win, and the fact that Jokic was somewhat of a long shot in the preseason, we decided to take a quick look at his victory from a gambling perspective.

Jokic started the season at +1500 to win the award, coming in behind the likes of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, like the tortoise and the hare, Jokic’s smart, consistently exceptional play eventually got this down to a two-man race with the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid at the start of February. By All-Star Weekend, Nikola found himself at +300 while Joel was the favorite at +200. 

Embiid gained the edge primarily because of Philadelphia’s strong play coupled with the drama surrounding the Ben Simmons situation. However, a late surge from the Joker, changed the odds in Jokic’s favor by the final weeks of the season. 

"Jokic has continued his MVP-level play down the stretch, averaging 31.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and eight assists in his last five games," Fox Sports Trader Dylan Brossman said at the time. "The Nuggets were 4-1 in those games with the only loss coming against the league-best Phoenix Suns."

By the end of the regular season, Jokic was a -285 favorite, with Embiid at +210. 

For the second year in a row, Joel was the runner-up, leaving the Philly big man to wonder what else he could do to finally win the award. 

Embiid wasn’t the only person upset as Jokic’s win also had an impact on the sportsbook. Brossman told us, "Jokic winning the MVP was ultimately a negative result for us, thanks in large part to the bet boost we ran for a few weeks. Our Colorado customers were all over it." 

Ouch. 

Jokic won with 65 first-place votes while Joel came in second with 26 first-place votes. Giannis came in third with 9 first-place votes. A $10 dollar bet on Jokic in the preseason would have returned you a cool $160 in total. 

So the question remains, can Jokic pull off a back-to-back-to-back campaign next year? Brossman is skeptical.

"We do not yet have 2022-2023 regular season MVP odds available, but they will be posted in the coming weeks - I do not expect Jokic to be the favorite," the oddsmaker explained. "There are simply too many deserving players that will create compelling narratives next season for Jokic to win his 3rd straight MVP."

So there you have it, folks. While Philadelphia fans and sportsbooks may be upset at this result, the Joker just laughs uncontrollably as he collects the hardware deserving of one of the best players in league history. When the 2023 MVP odds come out, maybe you should lay a wager at FOX Bet so you can join him in laughter, all the way to the bank!

Play FOX Super 6 every week for your chance to win thousands of dollars every week. Just download the Super 6 app and make your picks today!

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Gambling

National Basketball Association

Nikola Jokic