Could the Kia MVP race be decided not just by a season, but three games in particular?
If the competition between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić remains tight — and they’re Nos. 1 and 2 in the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder this week, as they’ve been for much of the season — then maybe a measure of weight will be applied to what they do against each other, head-to-head.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets meet on Friday (9:30 ET, ESPN) and then twice more before the season is done. In tight situations like this, where two candidates share the same floor, the conversation perks up regarding the award. If one player leaves a lasting impression — suppose, he has a beastly performance against the other guy’s team — it tends to stick in the memory a bit longer.
Again, this only matters if the MVP race is tight. And that’s the case right now, as it was virtually all last season as well.
In the Nuggets vs. Thunder scenario, Jokić has the tougher task. He must deal with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC’s twin 7-footers. The main matchup at center is with Hartenstein, but there will be times when Holmgren, a power forward and one of the better defensive big men in the league, will challenge Jokić as well.
It’s not a matter of who’s the better player — Jokić would clear both even if you fused them — but the amount of work required by Jokić in this situation, at both ends of the floor.
Contrast that with what level of resistance awaits Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s an elite scorer, virtually an automatic 25-30 points per game, going against a Nuggets’ team that currently lacks an elite ball-stopper. Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon are out and dealing with hamstring issues. Meanwhile, Christian Braun has struggled since returning to the lineup from injury.
The Nuggets might get a break if Shai misses the Friday game. He hasn’t played since Feb. 3 because of an abdominal strain and remains questionable. The longer he’s on the shelf, the greater the chances of Jokić rising to the top spot on the MVP Ladder. That’s only fair, considering Gilgeous-Alexander leapfrogged Jokić last month when Jokić missed nearly a month with a hyperextended knee.
The MVP race, in a sense, begins now, as the season creeps into March. The demands on Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić will be massive. Neither player can afford to miss many more games (and only one more for Jokić to remain eligible). This could be a photo finish, and if so, the Nuggets and Thunder play April 10 in the next-to-last game of the season.
Setting the stage this week: Twice in the span of five days will be an MVP Ladder treat — Cade Cunningham staring across the floor at Donovan Mitchell, first on Friday, then Tuesday. Aside from Ladder implications, this Cavs-Pistons matchup also might impact the race at the top in the East. Cade and the Pistons have ruled for much of the season, but Mitchell and the Cavs, winners in 12 of their last 16 games, are fast rising.
The stat to know: There are six players in the NBA with 100 or more clutch points and five are top-10 on the MVP Ladder — Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey and Anthony Edwards, with Jamal Murray as the sixth.
What they are saying: “I start seeing people appreciate my game like, `Man, this guy’s so pure.’ People complimenting the purity of your game, I think it’s one of the best compliments I ever got.” — Cunningham (to GQ magazine) on Cunningham.
