NBA MVP Race: James Harden the Heavy Favorite; Davis Enters Conversation

1. James Harden, Houston Rockets

Harden leads the NBA in scoring (31.0 ppg) and player efficiency rating (30.62) and ranks third in assists per contest (8.9). All the meanwhile, the Houston Rockets are on a 16-game win streak and maintain the NBA’s best record. Further evidence of Houston’s dominance?—the Rockets are 33-1 when Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela suit up.

James Harden and the Rockets have a realistic shot to win the NBA title. (Tom Gutierrez/AP)

2. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

Behind the brilliance of Davis, the Pelicans have won nine consecutive games and vaulted to fourth-place in the Western Conference standings—all without DeMarcus Cousins, who was lost for the season to an Achilles injury. For the month of February, Davis ranked first in scoring, second in steals, third in rebounding and third in blocks. According to NBA.com, he is the first player to finish top-3 in the aforementioned marks since 1973-74—the season steals and blocks became official statistics.

During the current nine game winning streak Anthony Davis is averaging

37.7 points
14.6 rebounds
3.0 steals
2.8 blocks
53.2% FG%
41.9% 3PT% (NOT A MISPRINT)
61.8% TS%
33.2% USG%

— The Bird WWWWWWWWWrites (@thebirdwrites) March 7, 2018

3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

James looked like the early favorite to win MVP through the first two months of the season, but now Harden is by far and away the leader of the race. The Cavs have struggled since the calendar flipped to January, hurting James’ chances to capture his fifth MVP trophy. Even so he has been great in the absence of Kevin Love and the departure of failed experiment Isaiah Thomas, averaging a triple-double for the month of February.

Congratulations to @KingJames – the Eastern Conference #KiaPOTM for the seventh February in a row!

For the first time in his career, LeBron averaged a triple-double for the month with 27.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 10.5 APG.

DETAILS → https://t.co/m5X26947UA pic.twitter.com/6i1ZeJbvlp

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 1, 2018

4. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers are riding an eight-game win streak, thanks in large part to Lillard. In the eight victories, Lillard has posted per-game averages of 32.6 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds. As clutch as they come, Lillard is shooting 46.1% from the field in that span and Portland now has the third-best record in the West and the fifth-best mark in the NBA.

5. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

Durant won’t win MVP as long he is a member of the Warriors (unless Stephen Curry goes down with a long-term injury), but he can remain in the conversation because of his stellar play. Durant is averaging 25.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists with a 25.56 player efficiency rating. He is the driving force of the Warriors (50-14), who trail the Rockets by a half-game for the best record in the NBA.

Next in Line

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

7. Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics

8. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

9. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

10. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors