The 2021 NBA MVP award is Nikola Jokic’s to lose. Joel Embiid is viewed by many as a serious threat to the Denver Nuggets star, but the race might not be particularly close.

Jokic is actually running away with the award, if ESPN’s latest straw poll is any indication. Of 101 media members surveyed from Friday through Monday, 90 gave Denver’s center their first-place vote.

Embiid finished a distant second with five first-place votes and 401 total points. Jokic led all players with 969 first-place votes. No other player received more than two first-place votes

Giannis Antetokounmpo was third in the recent straw poll with 375 total points. Antetokounmpo won the 2020 NBA MVP award with 85 first-place votes and 929 points.

The betting odds suggest the race is a relatively tight one. Jokic is the odds-on MVP favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook at -175. Embiid is second with +220 MVP odds. Antetokounmpo is a distant third with +1200 odds to win his third straight MVP award.

There has been a significant development since the straw poll votes were calculated. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray tore his ACL Monday night in a loss against the Golden State Warriors, almost certainly ending his season.

Denver is the No. 4 seed in the West. Murray’s injury won’t help their chances of catching the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are three games ahead of the Nuggets with 17 games left on Denver’s schedule.

Embiid scored 39 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers’ win over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night. The 76ers took a one-game lead atop the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is a heavy favorite to enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the East.

In the last 21 years, only one player has won the MVP award while playing for a team that didn’t earn a top-two seed in its conference. Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the No. 6 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and was named the 2017 NBA MVP.

Jokic isn’t far from averaging a triple-double. Shooting 56.4% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range, Jokic has put up averages of 26.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. Jokic has played in all 55 of Denver’s games in a difficult Western Conference.

The 76ers are three games better than the Nuggets in a much easier conference.

Embiid’s battle with injuries could ultimately prevent him from winning the MVP award. The center has played in 37 of Philadelphia’s 55 games. Embiid is averaging 29.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Embiid only attempts 11.8 field goals per game and is the anchor of the East’s best defense.

The big name missing from the MVP debate? LeBron James.

James, who has posted excellent numbers in 41 games, was a top-two MVP candidate before a high ankle sprain on March 20 sidelined him indefinitely.

The Los Angeles Lakers have the fifth-best record in the West, and the MVP award is often given to a player who helps lift a team to a top record.

Nikola Jokic (L) and Kevin Looney (R)
Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets drives to the basket against Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center on February 13, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. Getty Images/Matthew Stockman
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