NBA MVP rankings: The race for the most valuable player award is heating up

As a number of teams tip off their 28th game of the NBA season on Thursday night, we have officially hit the one-third mark of this campaign, so what better time — after the league crowned its Cup champion on Tuesday — to take stock of an MVP race that is as stacked with top-end talent as it has ever been.

The title picture is coming into clearer view, as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (24-2) remain clear favorites. They are followed by a number of teams out West that are still trying to convince themselves they can win four games in a series against a team that has lost two all season, namely the Denver Nuggets (19-6), San Antonio Spurs (18-7), Los Angeles Lakers (18-7) and Houston Rockets (16-7).

(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons (21-5) and New York Knicks (18-7) are the only teams to have claimed contender status, and the MVP discussion reflects the top of the standings on both sides.

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Remember, too, that Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is nursing a calf injury, is scheduled to miss his 11th game of the season on Thursday, and one can miss only 17 games before he is ineligible for the award. (Victor Wembanyama has missed a chunk of games, as well, but at least he has returned to the court.)

Let’s do this.

Honorable mention: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers; Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets.

6. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

As the best player on the Eastern Conference’s first-place team, Cunningham warrants mention in this conversation. The Pistons are a surprising top seed, if only because we expected so much from the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cunningham is their driving force. Quite literally. He is among the league’s leaders in drives, prodding his way to his spots, where he can either pull up over a smaller defender, find Jalen Duren rolling to the basket or spread it out to a shooter. He beats you in many ways.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-mvp-rankings-the-race-for-the-most-valuable-player-award-is-heating-up-183705780.html

Author : Ben Rohrbach

Publish date : 2025-12-18 18:37:00

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