NBA: MVP Race Tight After Multiple Players Score 70 and 60 Points

The MVP race is heating up after a shocking week of scoring around the NBA

Last week, multiple players scored 60 or more points in a game. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic scored the most points in a single game to lead the week. Doncic scored 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks on January 26, leading a crazy week of NBA basketball that was filled with scoring. He also finished the game with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Scoring a lot of points is one of the best ways for players to get themselves in the MVP conversation.

Wilt Chamberlain.
Kobe Bryant.
David Robinson.
David Thompson.
Elgin Baylor.
Devin Booker.
Donovan Mitchell.
Damian Lillard.
Joel Embiid.
Luka Doncic.

Luka joins the 70+ points club! pic.twitter.com/sZD6q237Rz
— NBA (@NBA) January 27, 2024

With a little over 40 games played so far, Doncic has the fourth best odds to win regular season MVP on BetMGM after his 73-point performance. He has +650 odds to win the award. The winning formula is usually team wins plus points plus another stat equals a good shot at regular season MVP. Doncic is still one of the best choices at this point. He is averaging 34.4 points per game, 9.4 assists, and 8.6 rebounds. He has the numbers, but the biggest concern is whether or not the Mavericks can win enough games. His team is currently 25-21, which probably will not be good enough to get Luka the MVP. But they still have time to go on a run and pick up some more wins.

Joel Embiid still has not separated himself from Nikola Jokic

Embiid led the bigs in scoring last week with a 70-point performance. Embiid scored 70 points — he also had 18 rebounds and five assists — against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. That was the second most points scored by a player last week. Interestingly, he has not separated himself from Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in the MVP race and is the underdog on some NBA betting sites like BetRivers. Embiid and Jokic are tied on BetMGM at +200. Embiid is averaging basically 10 more points than Jokic, almost the same amount of rebounds, and more blocks.

On Monday, Joel Embiid became the 9th player EVER to score 70+ points!

Ahead of Embiid taking the floor again (7pm/et, NBA App), relive his historic performance below. pic.twitter.com/bOXVPpCtOb
— NBA (@NBA) January 25, 2024

Embiid would normally be running away with the MVP award considering his team has a 29-15 record also, but things are not as simple this year because players need to play in at least 65 games to be eligible for awards. The 76ers have played 44 games so far, and Embiid has played in 33 of those games. He will not be eligible for the MVP award if he misses seven more games during the regular season. He played in at least 66 games these last two seasons.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not go for 60 last week. He is still one of the betting favourites. Gilgeous-Alexander has the third best odds on BetMGM. He is currently sitting at +350 odds. The Thunder are tied with the Timberwolves for the number one seed in the west at this moment. Gilgeous-Alexander will probably finish top two or three in the MVP voting and be a serious threat to win the award if the Thunder finish with the top spot in the Western Conference or if they are in the top three.

Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns not in the mix after 62-point performances

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker and Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 62 points last week. Towns scored 62 points in a 128-125 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. Towns also grabbed eight rebounds to go along with two assists. Booker scored 62 points in a 131-133 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Booker also had four assists and five rebounds. Neither of them have great odds to win MVP. Booker is tied with Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton for ninth best odds at +12500. Towns is not in the top 14. His teammate Anthony Edwards is one spot above Booker at +10000.