The NBA MVP races will take place in Nikola Jokic and Shygilgauss Alexander.
On April 1st, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets in two overtimes to score 140-139. The game was sealed by a failure by Russell Westbrook before fouling the shooter, and he made a layup in the final seconds.
The three NBA MVPs finished with 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Just the third 60-point triple double in NBA history, Jokic joined Luka Doncic and James Harden as the only players to achieve that feat.
Jokic and Oklahoma City Thunderguard Shay Gilgauss Alexander are the two remaining players in the 2025 NBA MVP race. While each player has a strong case for winning awards, Jokic’s latest game gives an edge that SGAs can’t win.
According to Fanduel, Gilgeous -Alexander likes to win at -4000 odds. Jokic is the distant second of +1000, but the season is not over yet.
For the last month or so, the SGA was the winner of the consensus, but was encouraged to wait until the season was over before making the final choice.
“You can probably shake up some people because you’re out and do this and have a triple double of 30 more people,” said Lou Williams, responding to Jokic’s Masterclass.
Williams believes his previous Clippers teammate SGA can answer in a high-level game, but will not compare to a 61-point triple double.
“If SGA goes out and does something similar, he probably won’t put up a 60-point triple double, but he probably has 40 balls with pretty good numbers that will shake people in his direction,” he continued.
“You know, I’m still standing firm and saying I’m SGA. When you have a 15-game lead on guys doing these things, it’s hard not to pay attention to such guys.”
Williams isn’t one game where Jokic isn’t enough to pass Gilgauss Alexander, but Chandler Parsons only had one request to voters.
“As a voter, I feel it is your responsibility to wait until the season is over.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on a historically good Thunder team, leading the league per game with 32.8 points per game.
Jokic’s argument is adjacent to absurdity, but it is a simple, simple, and persuasive case of MVP.
The Nuggets haven’t achieved the same success as the Thunder this season, but they’re a very good playoff bound team.
However, Jokic averages 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.8 Steals, and a true shooting rate of 66.2% from 41.6% shooting.
He is the only player in NBA history to be in the top three in points, rebounds and assists per game. With some accounts, he has the best individual season ever.
Voting depends on whether people value team success or personal control, but both players are in the middle of a truly elite season.