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In Week 22 of the NBA season, the competition for the newly introduced 'NBA Clutch Player of the Year' award showed no shift, with DeMar DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls maintaining his lead.
Betting odds from Bovada suggest that DeRozan's chances of winning have increased, while other top contenders are now seen as more of underdogs compared to last week.
Here are the current top contenders for the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award based on Bovada’s odds.
NBA Clutch Player of the Year frontrunners (Week 22)
5.) Nikola Jokic (+10000)
Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is still number five among the favorites to win the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award. However, he dropped to a plus-10000 underdog in the latest Bovada odds update. There was not much clutchness from Jokic this past week, which makes it even less likely that he will win the Clutch Player of the Year award.
4.) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+4000)
Like Jokic, OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also dropped in the Bovada odds. From plus-3000 last week, he fell to plus-4000, although he remains number four in the race just above Jokic. Also, Gilgeous-Alexander only did a little of endgame brilliance this past week
3.) Damian Lillard (+3000)
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard also stayed at his third-place spot in the Bovada odds for the NBA Clutch Player of the Year race, but like all the other contenders aside from DeRozan, he fell to a plus-3000 underdog this past week. Lillard also lacked some significant clutch moments this past week, so his “Dame Time” bid just got even bleaker.
2.) Stephen Curry (+195)
While the other contenders for this award saw their odds drop significantly, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry remained the major threat to beat DeRozan as he is just a plus-195 right now, only a plus-60 difference from last week.
A concern right now, though, is that the Warriors have been struggling as of late. If the trend continues, there is a chance that the Houston Rockets could overtake them for the final play-in spot in the West, so the Warriors might need Curry to deliver, especially in the clutch.
1.) DeMar DeRozan (-240)
DeMar DeRozan became the likelier winner of the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award as his odds improved to a minus-240 favorite according to Bovada. While there were not many clutch moments from DeRozan this past week, his takeover in the Bulls’ Week 21 match-up against the Indiana Pacers remains the talk of the town up to this day as they look to seal their place in the postseason.
Guess the Lakers players!
