NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ladder Race 2024: Top 5 candidates ft. Domantas Sabonis (Week 20)
Domantas Sabonis maintains his spot in our weekly MVP ladder as the league completes Week 20. The Sacramento Kings center's noteworthy performances see him pip Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and take fifth place among the top-five contenders.
Nikola Jokic continues to take the pole, while Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is in second. Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo round up the rest of the top-five. On that note, here's how the MVP ladder race pans out with Domantas Sabonis taking the spotlight.
NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ladder Race 2024: Top 5 candidates ft. Domantas Sabonis (Week 20)
#5 Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings)
- Games played last week: 3 (Won 2, Lost 1)
- Stats last week: 21.6 points, 19.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists
- Stats this season: 20.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 8.4 assists
Domantas Sabonis has been one of the surprise packages this season, making his way into MVP contention as the Sacramento Kings continue to make their case for the playoffs.
Barring the loss against the Chicago Bulls, the Kings won two of the three games last week. The highlight was the Lithuanian big getting the better of LA Lakers center Anthony Davis as he continues to dominate his counterpart.
#4 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
- Games played last week: 3 (Won 1, Lost 2)
- Stats last week: 30.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 9.3 assists
- Stats this season: 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were on the losing side in two of their three games last week.
However, the 'Greek Freak' propped up the numbers with two 30+ point performances against the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers. The losses cost Antetokounmpo a rung in the top-five as Luka Doncic's whirlwind run saw him get past Milawaukee's superstar and Domantas Sabonis.
#3 Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
- Games played last week: 3 (Won 2, Lost 1)
- Stats last week: 37.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 10.6 assists
- Stats this season: 34.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 9.8 assists
Luka Doncic has become a 30-point metronome and has been propping up triple-doubles without breaking into a sweat since the All-Star break.
The Slovenian has been on a six-game streak with a 30+ point triple-double, but it hasn't translated to as many wins as Dallas finds themselves in a fix and stuck in eighth place in an unforgiving West.
#2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC Thunder)
- Games played last week: 3 (Won 3, Lost 0)
- Stats last week: 32.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists
- Stats this season: 31.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear this season and has racked up quite the numbers this season.
The guard is on the cusp of setting a franchise record for 30-point games. Previously held by Kevin Durant, SGA has proved to be the franchise's cornerstone as he looks to lead the Thunder to a deep playoff run this season.
#1 Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
- Games played last week: 3 (Won 2, Lost 1)
- Stats last week: 27.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists
- Stats this season: 26.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 9.2 assists
Nikola Jokic has been the third big on our MVP contenders list this season. The Serb has been instrumental in helping the Nuggets make their surge as the regular season reaches the business end.
Jokic's efforts have translated to Denver winning two of their three games last week. His most notable outing was a triple-double in the team's win over the Celtics.