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Doug KezirianESPN
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is now the favorite or runner-up in the NBA MVP betting in most sports betting, thanks to an unexpected commitment to the regular season that has led the Lakers to the best record in the league.
The WestBook Las Vegas SuperBook was the first operator to make James the favorite, with a 4-1 chance Monday night after the 36-year-old rallied the Lakers to win a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James finished with 46 points on the 19-for-26 throw, including 7-for-11 from 3-point territory.
“People should be more scared than they do when they get older. I think that should play into the minds of some voters. I think that could affect some people who didn’t vote for it last year,” he said. said the NBA Superb told odds creator ESP Sherman.
James started the season among the top six favorites, even reaching 14-1 odds. However, despite the small change from the NBA Finals in October to the opening night of this season, James has played every game, while averaging 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
“The expectation was that he wasted some time, took it easy and prepared for the playoffs. If he doesn’t, the complexion of odds has changed,” Sherman said. “Anthony Davis has run out of time and has just passed his motions and lowered performance. That has helped LeBron’s case.”
William Hill currently lists James (3-1) as the second favorite behind Luka Doncic (+280).
“He’s in a heater, so people support him, thinking the old body will rise,” William Hill’s commercial director Nick Bogdanovich told ESPN, who also shared that the house would lose if James finally lift the trophy.
DraftKings has James and Doncic as 5-1 co-favorites. Sports betting director John Avello told ESPN that he reduced the odds due to the constant action of bettors over the past two weeks, with a odds of up to 10-1.
“He’s playing typical LeBron basketball. He’s doing everything,” Avello said. “Even at the end of the season, if he takes off a few games, it’s still about who did more to get his team.
The four-time MVP has not won the award since 2013. James finished runner-up to Giannis Antetokounmpo last year, James Harden in 2018 and Kevin During 2014. If James wins again, he would become the oldest MVP in the world. league and would join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5) and Bill Russell (5) as the only players in league history to win at least five MVP trophies.
Doncic started this season as the betting favorite and has stayed close to all sports books. During (7-1), Joel Embiid (8-1) and Nikola Jokic (8-1) have become a more important part of the race. Antetokounmpo (9-1) remains one of the leaders, but it is likely to take a historic season for the MVP, who has been reigning twice, to make three towers.
“Giannis is almost out of the conversation. The Bucks are doing less than expected. There is voter fatigue and people can’t help but remember the playoffs,” Sherman said, referring to the Milwaukee Bucks’ inability to get there. in the NBA Finals despite being the top spot in the Eastern Conference each of the last two seasons.
Voters are members of the media who are essentially left to determine their own interpretation of the award. Discussions often include criteria centered around the player with the most impressive season or who is most valuable to their team.
“Obviously, if you take LeBron out of the Lakers, they’re a different team, but they could keep some stretches. But if you take Luka out of the Mavericks, it would be a very bad team,” Sherman said.
The Lakers are currently 14-4, while the Dallas Mavericks are 8-9. The Philadelphia 76ers from Embiid own the top spot in the East right now with a 12-6 record.