We analyze the final stretch of the MVP battle between Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The superstars of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets are clearly the two best players in the NBA and have long been left alone in the fight.
The final poll on the NBA MVP conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN closely resembles the previous one, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic as the two top candidates by a significant margin.
Gilgeous-Alexander continues to lead the two-man race with 931 total points and 77 first-place votes. Jokic received 23 first-place votes and 769 total points. They are the only two players who received votes for both first and second place. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in third place (381 points), followed by Jayson Tatum (363) and Donovan Mitchell (93) to complete the top five.
Gilgeous-Alexander slightly increased his lead over Jokic from the previous poll. The Oklahoma City Thunder star garnered 70 first-place votes and 910 total points on February 14. The difference between then and now is that seven first-place votes shifted from Jokic to Gilgeous-Alexander. Antetokounmpo was the only other player who received a second-place vote in the February 14 survey.
A scout told Bontemps that they favor Jokic for what he has done to carry the Denver Nuggets with injured players around him and their lack of depth this season.
"I would lean toward Jokic," the scout said. "[For] keeping that team afloat with the injuries and their depth. The Thunder are great all around. No wonder they are going to win 70 games. [Jokic] is having a statistical anomaly in NBA history. It's like Wilt Chamberlain."
While one game likely wouldn't drastically alter the results, it would be interesting to know how things would have unfolded if voters could count Tuesday's games.
Final Stretch of the Jokic and Shai Battle
Jokic recorded a 61-point triple-double in the Nuggets' 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Losing that game takes some shine off, but the fact that it even went to double overtime when the Nuggets were without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. speaks to how impactful he can be.
Gilgeous-Alexander would be a well-deserved MVP if he ends up winning the award. The 26-year-old is the offensive engine of a team, the Thunder, that has solidified its top spot in the West since March 20. He leads the NBA in scoring (32.8 points per game) and averages 6.4 assists in 72 games.
Kevin Durant (2013-14) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17) are the only Thunder players who have previously won the NBA MVP award. If Jokic wins, he would become the sixth player in NBA history with at least four MVP awards. The current group includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), LeBron James (four), and Wilt Chamberlain (four).
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Analizamos la recta final de la lucha por el MVP entre Nikola Jokic y Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
