A Busy Night In The Association

The NBA kicks off the week with a nine-game slate, including some high profile matchups. The awards races always looms large at this time of the year, and this season offers some particularly competitive fields 📝

• We’ll get to see the league’s two leading MVP candidates square off in Philly, while Giannis will look to further his MVP case against the Jazz

• In Los Angeles, a seemingly ageless LeBron will look to increase his lead for scoring champion against the Raptors. James will be going for his third 50-piece in five games

The race for scoring champion is historically close as well, as LeBron, Giannis and Embiid are separated by just 0.03 PPG 👇

• LeBron: 29.70 PPG

• Giannis: 29.68 PPG

• Embiid: 29.67 PPG

Over the last 50 years, the closest gap between the league's top 3 scorers is 0.5 PPG (Wilkins, Dantley & English in 1985-86). All three current stars will be looking to keep their stellar seasons going tonight, let's take a look at a few of the biggest matchups 👇

NBA Monday Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Sixers -2.5 vs. Nuggets

• Bucks -2 @ Jazz

• Raptors -4 @ Lakers

There For the Taking

This is one of the tightest MVP races in recent memory. While stars like Giannis, Ja and Curry deserve consideration, the clear-cut top two is Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. At 7:30PM ET, we’ll see those two face off for the first time this season 🍿

• The Sixers and Nuggets met on November 18, but Embiid missed the game due to health and safety protocols

• Philadelphia still surprisingly pulled out a W, but we can throw that game out given the drastic reconstruction of their roster that has since followed (Hello James Harden!)

Head-to-head matchups always come into play when comparing MVP candidates, so this game will undoubtedly have quite an impact on the race. Jokic holds a slight lead in most people’s eyes, but Embiid has a chance to change that tonight 👇

• Embiid is looking to bounce back after a disastrous outing in the much anticipated clash with Brooklyn

• Embiid and Harden combined for a putrid 8-34 shooting line in the 29-point drubbing

For the Joker, this game presents the opportunity to effectively seal back-to-back MVP's. If he can dominate the matchup against his biggest competitor, his case for the award becomes nearly unimpeachable. Jokic's ability to keep the Nuggets afloat, despite missing both of his co-stars for the vast majority of the year, has been incredible 🃏

Can The King Keep It Going?

At this point, nothing that LeBron James does should surprise us. We're blessed to live in an age where modern medicine has allowed athletes like LeBron and Tom Brady (welcome back) to prolong their primes. Still, watching the King drop 50+ twice in one week felt surreal 👑

• He's averaging 33.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 7 games since the All-Star break

• James is scoring more than double the amount that anyone has previously averaged in their 19th season

• He would be the oldest scoring champ since (you guessed it) Michael Jordan, who accomplished the feat at 35 🏆

LeBron will, of course, face some heavy competition in that race, as Embiid and Giannis aren't showing any signs of slowing down. Giannis' Bucks will look to respond in Utah after suffering a disappointing blowout loss at the hands of Golden State. The Greek Freak was excellent as usual, but the rest of his team struggled to find a rhythm

• Giannis has a chance to catch up to Jokic and Embiid in the MVP race if Milwaukee can climb the Eastern Conference standings

• He is currently posting the highest PER in NBA history at 32.7 👀

For My Parlay Gurus

I'm betting on Jokic to solidify his MVP case with a win against the new-look Sixers, as Harden and Embiid continue to reel from the tough loss vs. Brooklyn. I'm pairing that with the Raptors to take one on the road since LAL played last night, take a look 👇

• Nuggets +2.5 @ Sixers: -110

• Raptors -4 @ Lakers: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $254 -- if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for $100*. First come, first serve 😉

Want more betting content from Overtime? Check out OvertimeLocks on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok 🤑

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Join thousands of other informed subscribers

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Many will enter, only one can win. Giveaway ends 12 hours after the completion of the final game references within the giveaway. The winner will be notified via the email address used to enter. Restrictions apply. See the General Conditions and Releases sections of Overtime's Terms of Use at https://overtime.tv/terms for additional giveaway terms.

©2022 Overtime Sports, Inc. All rights reserved.