DeMarcus Cousins recently weighed in on who should be the 'unanimous' MVP between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić.
When the Inside the NBA crew announced the All-Star starters last week, there were no surprises. Stephen Curry and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would represent the backcourt, with Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Nikola Jokic playing in the frontcourt.
Gilgeous-Alexander took a break to start the final quarter, and the Thunder led 102-99 when he checked back in. He hit a 3-pointer that gave OKC a 115-106 lead and secured his career night. He then scored his 50th point on a pull-up jumper over Lauri Markkanen with 1:28 to go that gave the Thunder a 119-110 lead.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sat at the very top of the NBA MVP rankings over the last several weeks. This battle between him, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been close, but now there is a wide gap between Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the field.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić continue to set the Kia MVP pace for each other and the rest of the field.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins delivered his take on this year's NBA MVP race, focusing on Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic . Jokic is averaging a triple-double in 2024-25, but Perkins explained why he's still picking Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as this year's Most Valuable Player.
The players announced to start for the Western Conference are Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
The Golden State Warriors withstand 52 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to beat Western Conference leaders Oklahoma Thunder 116-109.
Stephen Curry bounced back from a four-point first half with five second-half 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rallied to overcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 52 points and stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to lead the NBA MVP rankings, Nikola Jokic's triple-double average can't be ignored.
NBA.com released their latest Kia NBA MVP ladder and the rankings continue to be unfavorable towards Jokic. Jan. 24's edition of the regular installment featured Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander retaining his spot at the top of the list.