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Doug KezirianESPN
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is now the NBA MVP betting favorite or runner-up of most sports books, thanks to an unexpected commitment to the regular season that led the Lakers to the league’s best league.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook was the first operator to make James the favorite, putting him up 4-1 on Monday night after the 36-year-old Lakers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on a comeback. James finished with 46 points on 19-for-26 shooting, including 7-for-11 from 3-point range.
“People need to have more awe about what he does, the older he gets. I think it should play into some voters’ minds. I think it can affect people who did not vote for him last year,” says SuperBook NBA. said oddsmaker Jeff Sherman to ESPN.
James started the season among the top six favorites, even winning 14-1. However, despite a brief turnaround from the NBA Finals in October to the opening night of this season, James played every game, scoring 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
“The expectation was that he would miss some time and take it easy and be ready for the playoffs. He who does not do that has changed the odds of chances,” Sherman said. “Anthony Davis missed time and just went through a bit and underperformed. It helped LeBron’s case.”
William Hill currently names James (3-1) as the second favorite behind Luka Doncic (+280).
“He’s on a heater, so people support him and think the old body will rise,” William Hill director Nick Bogdanovich told ESPN. He also said that the house would be lost if James finally tackled the trophy.
DraftKings have James and Doncic as 5-1 favorites. Sportsbook director John Avello told ESPN that he had reduced the odds because he had taken consistent action against mutual players over the past two weeks.
“He plays typical LeBron basketball. He does everything,” Avello said. ‘Even at the end of the season, when he takes on a few games, it’s still about who did the most to get his team there.
The four-time MVP has not won the award since 2013. James finished last year as runners-up to Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden in 2018 and Kevin Durant in 2014. If James wins again, he will become the league’s oldest MVP and join Kareem. Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5) and Bill Russell (5) as the only players in league history to have won at least five MVP trophies.
Doncic started this season as the betting favorite, and he has stayed close to the top at all sports books. Durant (7-1), Joel Embiid (8-1) and Nikola Jokic (8-1) all became a bigger part of the race. Antetokounmpo (9-1) still counts among the frontrunners, but it will likely take a historic season for the two-time reigning MVP to make it a three-turf.
“Giannis is almost playing his way out of the conversation. The Bucks are doing less than expected. There is fatigue for the voters and people can not help but remember the playoffs,” Sherman said, referring to the Milwaukee Bucks’ inability to reach the NBA Finals, though he holds the Eastern Conference’s leading position each of the past two seasons.
The voters are media members who are essentially left to determine their own interpretation of the award. Discussions often involve criteria around the player with the most impressive season or who is the most valuable to his team.
“Obviously if you take LeBron from the Lakers, they are a different team, but they can sustain a few pieces. But if you take Luka from the Mavericks, they will be a very bad team,” Sherman said. said.
The Lakers are currently 14-4, while the Dallas Mavericks are 8-9. Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers currently hold the East’s leading selection at the moment with a 12-6 record.