Kia NBA MVP Race: December 6th, 2021 | Latest Power Rankings by Sportskeeda

Kevin Durant (left) and Stephen Curry are still leading the MVP race [Image Source: ESPN]

Last week's action in the 2021-22 NBA season made a huge impact in the Kia NBA MVP race. Stephen Curry had a horrid week, but didn't drop down the MVP ladder, as second-placed Durant had a pretty underwhelming week himself. The two former superstar teammates are expected to lead the race till the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic is arguably the most valuable player in the league based on advanced stats and his importance to his team. But the Denver Nuggets aren't winning games. The NBA MVP award has never gone to a player of a losing team, so Jokvic is doubtful to repeat the feat this year. Similarly, Paul George might also not win the award regardless of his personal numbers, as the LA Clippers aren't winning games. For that reason, he is off our top five power rankings.

Elsewhere, DeMar DeRozan has finally made an appearance in our NBA MVP Power Rankings for this week. However, not many people are sold on his MVP case because his teammate, Zach LaVine, is having an MVP-caliber season himself.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has slipped off our top five, as he hasn't played a single game all week. Moreover, the Miami Heat have lost five of their last eight games. So without further ado, let's get into our top five NBA MVP power rankings of the week:

#5 Nikola Jokic

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets

Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - 5th (-)

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 22; Games won - 11; Games lost - 11

Last Week: PPG - 24.7, APG - 6.3, RPG - 13.7

Overall: PPG - 26.1, APG - 6.4, RPG - 13.6

Last Week: FG% - 57.7%, 3P% - 41%, SPG - 0.7

Overall: FG% - 59.0%, 3P% - 38.7%, SPG - 1.1.

The reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is playing like he is out for his second award. He is averaging 26.1 points and 13.6 boards per game while dishing out more than six dimes a night.

Jokic leads the Denver Nuggets in every single statistical category, including shooting splits and field goals made. He also leads the NBA in most advanced stats, such as VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), Box Plus-Minus (all three - overall, defensive and offensive), win shares, etc. Most importantly, he has a historically high PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 34.5.

32 PTS, 11 REB & 5 AST at MSG for the reigning MVP 🃏

Niokla Jokic led his Nuggets squad to the #NBASaturdays win! 💪 https://t.co/QBIWlCLS0z

However, the Denver Nuggets aren't likely to win enough games for Jokic to win the NBA MVP award again.

Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray are both out for the season, while the role players are all underperforming. However, Jokic's presence on the court is often enough to overwhelm a few teams.

Kenny Smith says Nikola Jokic's team has to win more games if he wants to win another MVP award. tmz.me/GULygN8

The Joker is in the same position as Stephen Curry was last season. A player who is indisputably valuable to his team, is putting up historic numbers, but the team has fared poorly. The Denver Nuggets have now lost seven of their last nine games.

#4 DeMar DeRozan

Previous week's NBA MVP Power Ranking - N/A

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 3; Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 24; Games won - 16; Games lost - 8

Last Week: PPG - 30.3, APG - 4.0, RPG - 5.7

Overall: PPG - 26.4, APG - 4.1, RPG - 5.3

Last Week: FG% - 58.7%, SPG - 0.7

Overall: FG% - 49.8%, SPG - 0.9.

DeMar DeRozan's MVP case is tricky,as his teammate Zach LaVine is putting on a show himself. LaVine often outscored DeRozan in games, and has been their team's go-to scoring option for many possessions when they needed a three-pointer. The narrative is that DeRozan cannot solely be responsible for the team's success because of the starcast around him.

However, DeMar DeRozan's exploits cannot be ignored. He averaged 30.3 points per game on 58.7% shooting in the last week, and the Chicago Bulls' latest victory was against the conference-leading Brooklyn Nets.

No one in the league has more points in the 4th quarter right now than DeMar DeRozan. https://t.co/8YC3gmjMHd

The Chicago Bulls are the best fourth-quarter team in the league, and DeMar DeRozan is a key reason for that. He is leading the NBA in clutch scoring and fourth-quarter points.