The NBA MVP race has tended to follow a certain track over the past few seasons. In 2021, LeBron James was the early favorite, but Joel Embiid emerged in the middle of the season as a prime candidate as James faded. In 2022, the same thing happened, but with Stephen Curry as the early front-runner. The 2022-23 season started with Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum as the Vegas darlings, but yet again, Embiid has barged his way into the proceedings.
On Saturday morning, Embiid had the fourth-best MVP odds in the NBA at plus-700 at Caesars Sportsbook. Not bad by any means, but behind Tatum (plus-600), Doncic (plus-450) and two-time defending MVP Nikola Jokic (minus-165). Fortunately for Embiid bettors, Saturday gave him a showcase opportunity against the favorite, and boy, did he deliver.
Denver took a 15-point lead into the halftime locker rooms, but Embiid exploded from there. He scored 28 points in the second half to finish with 47 total in a 126-119 victory. In the process, he tacked on 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks to move the Sixers to 32-16, just two games behind the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the best record in the NBA. As you’d expect, the bettors took notice.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Embiid had moved to plus-450. Minutes later, he’d dropped again, all the way to plus-360. That’s where he has settled for now, with both Doncic (plus-550) and Tatum (plus-850) trailing him. You’d be hard-pressed to find many games in history in which MVP odds shifted that much without injuries being involved.
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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/joel-embiids-mvp-odds-jump-following-statement-win-over-nikola-jokic-nuggets/
Author : Sam Quinn
Publish date : 2023-01-28 23:58:37
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