A Look at Donovan Mitchell's MVP Odds After His 71-Point Performance
A Look at Donovan Mitchell's MVP Odds After His 71-Point Performance
After one of the best performances in NBA history, it's time to start talking about the Donovan Mitchell MVP odds. Mitchell dropped 71 points on 22-34 from the field against the Chicago Bulls in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 145-134 win on Monday night.
Mitchell scored the eighth most points in an NBA game, trailing just Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and David Thompson. Wilt Chamberlain had more than 71 points five times in his career. Elgin Baylor and David Robinson also scored 71 points in a game. He joins an elite list of all-time greats, showing the Cavaliers made the right decision by acquiring him.
Donovan Mitchell's MVP odds still see him as a long shot to win the award. It's tough to argue that this shouldn't be the case with some of the talent in the NBA.
Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, and others have all played an elite level of basketball this season. This might be the tightest MVP race in NBA history.
Let's break it down with the latest Donovan Mitchell MVP odds and see where sportsbooks have him.
Donovan Mitchell MVP Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Luka Doncic | +260 |
| Jayson Tatum | +350 |
| Nikola Jokic | +400 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +450 |
| Kevin Durant | +700 |
| Joel Embiid | +1100 |
| Ja Morant | +2800 |
| Donovan Mitchell | +2800 |
As we can see from the Donovan Mitchell MVP odds, DraftKings is still giving him +2800 odds to win the award. There are a few ways that we can think about this, but putting a few dollars on him wouldn't be a bad idea.
Voters look for a few different things when deciding on the award. Player success, team success, and more. Donovan Mitchell has all of those boxes checked off. Cleveland is 24-14, which is good for the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference as of January 3.
Mitchell is also averaging a career-high in points while shooting 49.2% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. There's a chance we see him finish with a 50-40-90 season. Mitchell is shooting 86.8% from the stripe.
Why can't Mitchell win the MVP at this rate? Well, Luka Doncic and others want to have a discussion. Luka is playing at an insane level, averaging the most points in the NBA with 34.4 per game, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. If Dallas can finish with a top-5 seed in the Western Conference, Luka has a great chance of winning the award.
Tatum and Giannis have also been playing at a ridiculous level. Boston and Milwaukee are widely regarded as the two best teams in the Eastern Conference and both of them are the reason why. Tatum is averaging 30.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-high in points at 32.1 per game, along with 11.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.
The Donovan Mitchell MVP odds could continue rising, meaning it might not be a bad idea to take the risk and place those bets today.