Is Nikola Jokic Losing Ground to James Harden in NBA MVP Race?

Nikola Jokic is having a special season. Is it enough to hold off James Harden in the MVP race, though? That's the question that matters. The answer appears to be yes, but it's getting closer.

Jokic is finally being given the room to show what he's truly capable of, playing 35.7 minutes per game after never hitting 33.0 for a season his first five years in the NBA. And "what he's truly capable of" has included some staggering per-game numbers, including 26.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks.

Jokic took over as the favorite in the NBA MVP race when LeBron James went down with his ankle injury. But according to the latest odds from WynnBET, Jokic could be losing some ground while Harden surges.

Nikola Jokic MVP

Jokic still ranks first in the NBA odds, at -105. This means you'd need to bet $105 to win $100 if he wins the award. It also implies he's slightly better than a coin-flip to win.

Second place is Harden, though his odds are still a distant +650 (bet $100 to win $650). Harden sits slightly ahead of Joel Embiid, who ranks third at +700.

Jokic hasn't exactly been playing poorly as of late, but he's seen a notable dip in production. Over his last six games, he's averaged 20.8 points, 8.6 boards and 8.3 assists. That's nothing to scoff at, but it's a drop in all three categories compared to his season averages.

James Harden MVP

It's also not hard to see why Harden is surging. He's been banged up lately, but his last two full games saw him explode for 44 and 38 points, respectively, while also averaging 12.5 boards and 10.5 assists per game.

His impact on the Nets has been hard to over-state. The team is just 1-3 across the four games in which he has been inactive, compared to 27-7 when he plays. Unlike with Harden, the Nets have winning records in games with Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving on the shelf.

Is Jokic still the rightful favorite? Absolutely — for now. But with Harden surging and still more than a full month of play left, there's still plenty of room for things to change.