If the early MVP chatter is any indication, we’re heading for one of the most compelling races in recent NBA memory-and it’s being led by two stars who are lighting up the Northwest Division.
In the season’s first MVP straw poll, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander edged out Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in a vote of 100 media members. Gilgeous-Alexander pulled in 57 first-place votes and totaled 865 points, while Jokic wasn’t far behind with 42 first-place votes and 822 points. Luka Doncic, now running the show for the Lakers, finished third with 432 points and the only other first-place vote.
This isn’t just about hot starts-though Oklahoma City’s 25-2 record certainly doesn’t hurt SGA’s case. What’s really driving his early MVP momentum is just how efficient and dominant he’s been.
He’s putting up 32.4 points per game, and doing it in just 33 minutes a night-his lowest workload since his rookie season back in 2018-19. He’s also hitting career-best marks from the field (55.9%) and from deep (43.2%).
That kind of production on that kind of efficiency? That’s MVP-level stuff, especially when your team is sitting atop the standings.
But Jokic isn’t going anywhere. He may trail SGA in the early voting, but his numbers are nothing short of historic.
The Nuggets big man is averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game while leading the league in rebounds (12.3) and assists (10.9). And he’s doing it on a blistering 61.2% shooting from the field and 42.6% from three.
That’s not just big-man efficiency-it’s all-time great efficiency. Denver’s 20-6 record has them right on OKC’s heels in the West, and if Jokic keeps this up, we could be looking at a down-to-the-wire MVP battle between two of the most versatile stars in the game.
Around the League: Expansion, NBA Cup, and All-Star Voting
Expansion talk is heating up again, and 2026 is shaping up as a potential turning point. According to league insiders, there are four key factors that will determine whether the NBA finally pulls the trigger on adding new franchises. Seattle and Las Vegas remain the front-runners, and if expansion happens, it could come with a major structural shift: a move to four-team divisions.
That setup would make a lot of sense, especially with the NBA Cup now part of the calendar. Each division could serve as a group stage for the Cup, with division winners advancing to the knockout rounds.
Scheduling-wise, it’s tidy too: four games against division opponents, three against the rest of the conference, and two against the other conference. That adds up to 80 games, with the final two determined by NBA Cup results.
Speaking of the NBA Cup, the league is looking to shake things up for the 2026 final. After three straight years in Las Vegas, there’s buzz around moving the championship game to a new neutral site-and Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium is reportedly under serious consideration.
That’s right, one of college basketball’s most iconic venues could be hosting an NBA title game. It’s a bold idea, and one that could inject even more energy into the Cup’s growing profile.
And finally, All-Star voting is underway. Fans have until January 14 to cast their ballots, with their votes accounting for 50% of the total.
Players and media members will split the remaining 50%, each contributing 25%. It’s the usual format, but with so many players putting up monster numbers this season, expect some tough choices when it comes to picking starters.
From MVP races to expansion plans, the NBA’s midseason storylines are already delivering-and there’s plenty more to come.