Denver’s Nikola Jokic the new favorite to win MVP
BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
For most of the NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have seemed invincible. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the helm of what seemed to be a historic season in the making, the Thunder guard had emerged as the clear favorite to win the NBA’s MVP Award. But as the Thunder’s recent struggles were magnified under the lights of a Christmas Day game, a new, albeit familiar, MVP favorite has emerged in Denver.
Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic became the betting favorite to win the MVP on Friday morning after a historically great Christmas Day performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 3-time MVP recorded 56 points along with 16 rebounds and 15 assists in an overtime victory on Thursday night. 18 of his 56 points came in overtime, marking the most points scored in a single overtime period in NBA history.
The Nuggets are sitting at 22-8 on the season, just 3.5 games behind the Thunder.
Oklahoma City’s recent struggles have come from the budding San Antonio Spurs who have defeated the Thunder three times in about two weeks.
After winning the MVP in three of the last five years it would be difficult for Jokic to continue to impress voters enough to get the nod for a fourth time. The only players to win more than three MVPs in NBA history are LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But if Jokic continues at this historic pace, he could soon join the company of those all-time greats.
The current NBA MVP odds are as follows:
2025-26 NBA Regular Season MVP
Nikola Jokic 1/1
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 7/5(+140)
Luka Doncic 6/1
Cade Cunningham 66/1
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