"Nikola Jokic injured his knee on Monday night and is expected to miss the next month, which has a profound impact on the NBA MVP race. In the short term, it narrows the field down to one huge favorite in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But in the long run, this trend of injuries could end up widening the field to include players previously not even in the hunt."
"As of Nov. 13, there were five clear-cut favorites to win the NBA MVP: Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Jokic, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. On Nov. 14, Wembanyama injured his left calf and missed the next month. Players must play 65 game in the season to be eligible to win MVP, which means they can't miss more than 17 games. Wembanyama hasn't quite missed 17, but he is close enough that his MVP odds have decreased dramatically."
"On Dec. 3, Antetokounmpo suffered a soleus muscle strain in his calf that sidelined him for most of the month. Again, the missed games, in addition to the Bucks' struggles in Antetokounmpos' absence, decreased his MVP odds precipitously. At that point, there were three MVP favorites. Now, after Jokic's injury, there are two. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Gilgeous Alexander is by-far the odds-on favorite to win MVP at -450, meaning one would have to bet 450 units on SGA to win 100."
Nikola Jokic suffered a knee injury and is expected to miss about a month, significantly affecting the NBA MVP race and making Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the clear short-term favorite. Earlier injuries to Victor Wembanyama (left calf, missed a month) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (soleus muscle strain, sidelined most of a month) already reduced their MVP odds by threatening the 65-game eligibility threshold. After Jokic's injury, DraftKings lists Gilgeous-Alexander at -450 and Luka Doncic at +370, with a steep drop to Cade Cunningham (+5000) and Jalen Brunson (+6000). Continued injuries could eventually broaden the field to unexpected contenders.
Read at ESPN.com
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