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NBA MVP Odds Continue to Heavily Favor Giannis Antetokounmpo Ahead of James Harden After Luka Doncic Injury

By Zach Brunner

Giannis Antetokounmpo goes up for a dunk in a game against the Indiana Pacers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo goes up for a dunk in a game against the Indiana Pacers. / Quinn Harris/Getty Images
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Giannis Antetokounmpo has continued his strong play from last season, now improving to the odds-on favorite to win the 2019-20 NBA MVP Award. He recently has extended his lead in the odds, climbing from +210 to -135 over the last month, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Much of the recent rise in the odds has also paralleled a stalled rise by Luka Doncic, thanks to an ankle injury he suffered in mid-December..

Giannis has played absolutely terrific this season, leading his team to an NBA-best 27-4 record, including a 17-2 record against Eastern Conference teams. We have seen Giannis improve in one major part of his game in every offseason, and this past offseason was focused on his 3-point shot. He averages 34.2 percent shooting from downtown this season, which is a big improvement from 25.6 percent just a year ago.

This new threat of him hitting 3-point shots makes even more unstoppable, which was shown in the Bucks' recent matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are the top team in the Western Conference at 24-6. In Milwaukee's 111-104 win over LA, Giannis scored 34 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Doncic was rising in the MVP odds, but has since plateaued at the third-best odds (+500) following his ankle injury. Just ahead of him is James Harden (+490), with LeBron James (+600) and Anthony Davis (+750) rounding out the top 5 by the odds to win this year's NBA MVP.


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