NBA MVP Race 2024: Jokic Is Leading The Race Over Shai and Luka

NBA MVP Race 2024: As we enter the final week of competition, the NBA MVP race is still very much alive, with less than games left in the regular season. Currently leading the competition, Nikola Jokic is moving closer to his third MVP award.

For the Denver Nuggets this season, Jokić is averaging 26 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9.2 assists. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a regular topic of conversation for MVP throughout the season, substantially contributing to the team’s unexpected success.

The Thunder ranked third in the Western Conference, have been led by Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages an incredible 31.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game.

Following him, Luka Donicic is playing his career-best season this year, as his injuries somehow pulled him back from the MVP race, but Luka’s magic is all over as he is averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists.

NBA MVP Ladder 2024 List

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 26.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 9.0 apg

The Nuggets slipped a half-game behind No. 1 Minnesota in the West despite Jokic’s triple-double performance against the Clippers on Thursday. Jokic finished with 36 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The two-time MVP also had to contend with Victor Wembanyama, a player who dabbled in quadruple-doubles. Jokic ended with 16 rebounds and six assists while tying his season-high of 42 points despite the Spurs rookie blocking his shot four times.

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 33.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 9.8 APG

Doncic broke the Mavericks’ single-season record for 3-pointers (258) on Tuesday by going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc in addition to recording his 20th triple-double of the year. That evening, the Warriors ended Dallas’ seven-game winning streak.

But Doncic turned things around for the Mavs, going above and beyond to secure a victory over the Hawks on Thursday. In the second quarter, he scored sixteen points. 

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 6.3 apg

Gilgeous-Alexander, who had been a strong MVP candidate, effectively put the brakes on his candidature for the time being by missing the fourth of Oklahoma City’s last five games on Wednesday in Boston. Not to be forgotten, the 25-year-old has played a key role in 71 of the OKC’s 76 games thus far.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s chances are still open if the Thunder can stay in the top three spots in the conference, given the club’s lead over multiple Western teams. Now that SGA is gone, OKC is 1-4.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 30.7 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 6.5 apg

in a loss to Washington on Tuesday, had a triple-double with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. When the two-time MVP records a triple-double, Milwaukee drops to 5-5 on the season. He went 15-for-21 from the field, while the rest of the club shot 37%.

Antetokounmpo has scored 35 points or more in three of his previous five games, but the Bucks have dropped their last five games. Milwaukee will play the road in their last two games.

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 27.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.9 apg

With a 24-point performance on Wednesday in a 135-100 rout of Oklahoma City, Tatum helped Boston achieve its first 60-win season since the 2008–09 campaign. The Celtics won their eleventh straight game at TD Garden, guaranteeing them the best record in the NBA at the end of the regular season.

NBA MVP Odds 2023-24

NBA MVP Voting Criteria

A panel of 100 media members, including both national and local analysts, casts their votes for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. Only games played in the regular season are considered (ballots are submitted soon after the schedule ends), and the league purposely left out any particular guidelines for voters.

A player who plays every night is intrinsically more valuable, but the league’s recently implemented 65-game minimum for award hopefuls will help stifle this debate.

Even though it is painful to acknowledge, voter fatigue plays a major role in this process when a player wins multiple accolades and the media, either out of boredom or contrarianism, engages in mental acrobatics to vote for a different player.

Michael Jordan had the experience. LeBron James experienced it. Nikola Jokic has experienced it. It will happen again.

NBA MVP History: Last 10 MVP Winners

Look at the recent NBA MVPs and the position they played.

Read More: Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers, DEN vs LAL, Game 5, Play-offs Round 1