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When it comes to the sport of basketball, there’s not much that’s more important than the MVP of the NBA, an award, and the player pool that we cover extensively here at Ballislife.
Before you ask, yes, you can bet on who you think will win the MVP award, and below, we’ll catch you up to speed on everything involving this market.
At the end of every NBA season, one player is deemed the Most Valuable Player (MVP). We, as sports bettors, can bet on this throughout the season, starting in October and during the regular season. This wager falls under the “futures” umbrella, and the odds will shift and change throughout the season as well as the players and where they rank in terms of odds.
At some point in the season, though, it can become quite obvious who will win the award, thus, the odds diminish. That said, you can still use strategies to put yourself in the best position to win money. Before that, let’s check out this betting market in more detail.
As mentioned, betting on MVP predictions in the NBA is considered a futures wager. You can also engage in NBA All-Star game MVP predictions at some sportsbooks. When we’re writing this, though, the All-Star game has passed.
This bet is pretty straightforward: You’ll bet on who you think will win the MVP award at the end of the season.
There’s a list of players running for the MVP award throughout the season. This list will become less as the season progresses, and the odds will shift and become more certain and less valuable as the season unfolds and players start to separate from one another. There’s always more value in early NBA MVP predictions.
So, with this betting market, each player will have odds associated with them, and you’ll wager on them.
If a player has odds with a “-” in front of it, this indicates they tend to be more likely to win than others. The number associated with “-” odds is how much you’d need to wager to win $100. For example, if a player is -450, you’d need to wager $450 to win $100.
If a player has odds with a “+,” this is considered the underdog. The player with a lower number is more likely than the other, meaning +400 is more likely than +500. In terms of money, you’ll win whatever those odds are in money per $100 wagered. For example, at +400, if you bet $100, you’d win $400 if that player wins the award.
Sports betting is available in more than half of the United States, and within those states are numerous NBA sportsbooks. Some of the most competitive odds come from sports betting sites like FanDuel, BetRivers, and SI Sportsbook, to name a few.
At the time of writing, the MVP award is down to three players, with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic running away with it. Below, we’ll review each player’s resume through March 2023.
This guy is an insane basketball player. Not only has he won the last two MVP awards, but he’s on his way to three straight.
Jokic is currently averaging a triple-double with 24.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10 assists. He’s also adding 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
The Nuggets lead the Western Conference and have less than 20 wins currently. It’s going to be hard to catch him in the voting.
Coming in at second is the 76ers' big man Embiid. He played against Jokic in January and dropped a monstrous statistical line, including 48 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists.
Embiid is ahead of Jokic by nearly 10 points per game at 33.3 but trails in rebounds (10.1) and assists (4.1). The points make a significant argument, but maintaining a triple-double is difficult, and the 76ers are currently the No. 3 seed.
Leading his team to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with the help of a 16-game winning streak, Antetokounmpo is averaging north of 31.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.
When it comes to betting on NBA MVP 2023 predictions, at this point, it’s somewhat wrapped up. However, we’ll list some NBA betting strategies below that you can carry with you moving forward.
The way a team performs has a lot to do with helping a player's MVP odds. For example, if Jokic was averaging a triple-double, but the Nuggets were a No. 12 seed, sure, he could still win, but it certainly helps that they’re the No. 1 seed.
While Jokic doesn’t register as many points per game as Antetokounmpo or Embiid, he’s an anomaly. Since 2010, nine MVPs finished top-five in points per game.
When you want to bet on the NBA MVP and turn a profit, you might want to consider hedging your wagers throughout the season. Is it possible to wager on a player in October and get it right in March/April? Sure, but the odds (no pun intended) aren’t great. If you stagger your wagers throughout the season on the same and different players, you set yourself up to be in the best position possible to win money.
Try our favorite bonuses on your NBA bets
The NBA MVP award is the best award a single player can receive in the league. It highlights the best and most valuable player, and we, as bettors, can place money on who we think is the best in the league.
Overall, this is a fairly straightforward bet, but we hope that the strategies we’ve provided and our insight into the current state of the MVP race make your betting experience that much better.
So, as the 2022-23 season concludes and future seasons begin, keep this page in the back of your mind to revisit whenever you want to make this wager.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
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