by Ben Perks
After the Warriors beat the Mavericks in Game 3, Vegas oddsmakers have made Golden State’s Steph Curry a hot +120 favorite to win NBA Finals MVP. The 34-year-old has never claimed the honors despite appearing in the Finals five times before.
The other two frontrunners are Boston’s Jayson Tatum (+350) and Miami’s Jimmy Butler (+450).
Get betting insights and view the latest NBA Finals MVP odds.
Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
Curry has stuck to the script in an NBA postseason not short on shocks by putting on some incredible displays to become the NBA Finals MVP favorite.
Even though the star has eased into the last few games with limited minutes, it’s unsurprising that NBA betting sites have him as the frontrunner. Curry has been Golden State’s offensive leader all playoffs, and his last few performances have stifled the Mavericks‘ momentum.
Curry has been Golden State’s offensive leader all playoffs.
In the 100-109 Game 3 win against Dallas, Stephen Curry bagged 31 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds on 10-of-20 shooting and 5-of-10 from deep. The Warriors are now just one victory away from securing their place in the NBA Finals.
If they make it 4-0 against the Mavericks on Tuesday, expect Vegas oddsmakers to slash Curry’s NBA Finals MVP odds even more.
Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
After being pivotal in Boston dominating the Brooklyn Nets and securing a second-round win against Milwaukee, Tatum has become a top contender.
If Tatum helps his team achieve the feat, he could easily pip Curry to the award.
Despite losing Game 3, many think the Celtics are gritty enough to make the NBA Finals, and rightly so – during the regular season, Boston finished first in the NBA in defensive rating (106.9) and ranked seventh in offensive rating (114.4).
Therefore, even though Boston have one of the most challenging paths to the NBA Finals,
Tatum could help them get there and pip Curry and other top contenders to the award in the process.
Jimmy Butler – Miami Heat
Many would argue that Jimmy Butler has been the best overall player in the postseason. Yet his recent injury has affected his NBA Finals MVP odds.
After taking a 2-1 series lead against the Celtics on Saturday, the Heat took back the home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, losing Butler in the second half tainted the victory.
The Celtics finished the first half with a 26-point lead, but they fought back and cut the deficit to as low as one point. Yet Miami held on to win the matchup.
As he’s a doubt for game 4, this might be the best time to place action on Butler to win NBA Finals MVP.
Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks
Doncic is, as he has been all season, essential to the Mavericks’ chances of success.
The Slovenian star has set an incredibly high standard by only scoring under 25 points twice this postseason and getting a total of 68 in the Game 6 and 7 matchups against Phoenix.
As his team is only one defeat away from losing the series against the Warriors, the guard is at +1300 to win NBA Finals MVP. Therefore, they need to pull it together in Game 4 for their star player to stand a chance of winning the honors.
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Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
