Victor Wembanyama is back on top of the NBA MVP board after one of the wildest box scores you’ll ever see.
The San Antonio Spurs star ripped off 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks in Wednesday’s one-point win over the Dallas Mavericks, and that was enough to move him past Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic in the betting market. Wembanyama had opened the season as the preseason favorite, then watched Doncic jump him earlier in the week. After Wednesday, the order flipped again.
Wembanyama’s night was historic, too. He became the first player since 1974 to post 50 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in a game.
Victor Wembanyama just put up one of the most ABSURD stat lines you will ever see. 52 PTS, 24 REB, 8 BLK, 16/28 FG, 19/23 FTMVP front runner after this performance? pic.twitter.com/nTyX12X6rp https://t.co/G8dYOq9RI2
The latest number has Wembanyama at +195 to win MVP, just ahead of Doncic at +200. Those two are the only players priced shorter than 4/1, and they’re two of only four players sitting inside 10/1 in the market.
Even with a rough start from deep, Wembanyama’s production has been massive. He’s now averaging 29.0 points, 12.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while blocking 4.5 shots a night. His 3-point shooting is still well below 30.0 percent, but that hasn’t kept him from controlling games for San Antonio.
Doncic, meanwhile, is leading the league in scoring and has a real chance to finish above 35 points per game. Still, oddsmakers have him behind Wembanyama after the Spurs star’s latest explosion, and the two look set to trade the top spot in the MVP race all season.
No other player is listed at better than +15000 to win the award.
The Lakers and Spurs won’t meet until Nov. 27 in an NBA Cup Group Stage game, which could give both stars an early chance to make another MVP statement.
There’s also another layer to Wembanyama’s case: he remains the odds-on favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, and that’s a big reason he started the season as the MVP favorite in the first place.
If Doncic keeps scoring at this pace, the MVP odds could swing back his way. For now, though, Wembanyama owns the edge after a night that changed the market in a hurry.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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In Other News...
Dylan Harper Said What Spurs Fans Are Starting To Believe About Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyamas latest night was the kind that forces even hardened NBA observers to stop and reset their expectations. He put up 52 points, 24 rebounds, eight blocks and two steals in 34 minutes, a line so rare it put him alongside Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever reach at least 50 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks in a game. It also kept the Spurs rolling, pushing their winning streak to six and lifting them to 6-2.
For a young roster trying to find its identity, the bigger takeaway may be how quickly Wembanyama is turning awe into routine. Dylan Harper was among the teammates who came away sounding like fans, praising Wembanyamas dominance and drawing the Chamberlain comparison himself, which says plenty about the standard being set inside the locker room. The question now is less about whether Wembanyama can take over a game than how far San Antonio can ride nights like this while the rest of the league keeps trying to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Is Putting Dallas Through The Exact Show Spurs Fans Dreamed Of
Victor Wembanyama made the Spurs matchup with Dallas feel like a showcase from the opening tip, and by halftime he had already piled up a line that looked more like a full game than a first half. The rookie center scored 29 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added 16 rebounds, two assists, three steals and six blocks, giving San Antonio exactly the kind of two-way dominance its fans have been imagining since he arrived.
The Mavericks tried to keep pace through Kyrie Irving, who had 17 points and four assists, but Wembanyama kept bending the game in San Antonios favor on both ends. For a Spurs team still building around its new centerpiece, nights like this are a reminder of how quickly he can change the tone of a game, and how uncomfortable he can make even a veteran opponent look when the matchup tilts his way. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyamas Historic Night Still Left Him Frustrated With One Thing
Victor Wembanyama delivered the kind of performance that can reshape a game and a conversation at the same time, piling up a career-high 52 points with 24 rebounds and eight blocks to lift the Spurs past Dallas, 112-111. It was the sort of night San Antonio has been waiting to see from its franchise centerpiece, especially with the rest of the roster struggling to keep pace offensively while the Mavericks kept clawing back into it.
Even after all that, Wembanyama did not sound like a player fully satisfied with the finish. He pointed to a few late-game details he wanted back, including missed free throws and the way he handled some screen-setting sequences, a reminder that his standards are already set well beyond a box score that most players would celebrate for weeks. For the Spurs, the win mattered most, but the frustration attached to it may be just as telling about where their star thinks this group still has room to grow. [Read more 🡒]