It was a wild week around the NBA and that was the case at the top of the league, with the top two teams in the West, boasting the top two contenders for the MVP Award. The Nuggets and Nikola Jokic and the Thunder with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are exchanging punches down the stretch of the season.
The two have swapped the top two places in NBA.com’s weekly MVP ladder over the past two weeks, highlighting just how close this race is. Jokic took the lead two weeks ago for the first time in over a month, but SGA reclaimed the top spot in last week’s edition.
Since the previous installment of the ladder, Jokic put up his legendary 31/21/22 performance plus led the team to a road win in Oklahoma City. Not to be outdone, SGA won the other head-to-head matchup with a 40/8/5 showing in a victory over the Nuggets and led the way in a brilliant road win over the defending champs in Boston.
Jokic takes back top spot on MVP ladder
Shaun Powell of NBA.com was apparently more swayed by what Jokic did and felt that his week was enough to bump him back to the top spot. Jokic now leads the race, holding the number one spot on the ladder with SGA nipping at his heels in second.
On the season, Jokic is averaging 29 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. He’s in the top three in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game in the entire NBA, a feat that has never been accomplished before.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in scoring, averaging 32.8 points per game for a 54-12 Thunder team that leads the Western Conference by 11.5 games. He’s adding 5.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game and is currently third in the NBA in steals.
This race may go right down to the wire and the Vegas odds favor SGA to win for the first time. But Jokic will have his say and won’t go down without a fight. Either player would be a worthy winner, but Jokic is having the kind of season that could go down in the history books.
Giannis, Tatum, and Mitchell round out top 5
Giannis Antetokounmpo held strong at third on the ladder while Jayson Tatum of the Celtics stayed in the five spot. Donovan Mitchell climbed up to fifth place as he has led the Cavaliers to a league-leading 56-10 record and they’re currently riding a 16-game winning streak.