{"id":11937,"date":"2017-12-26T21:43:10","date_gmt":"2017-12-27T02:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=11937"},"modified":"2017-12-26T21:43:10","modified_gmt":"2017-12-27T02:43:10","slug":"mvp-race-do-not-forget-about-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/12\/26\/mvp-race-do-not-forget-about-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo\/","title":{"rendered":"MVP Race: Do Not Forget About Giannis Antetokounmpo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many believe the NBA MVP race is already a two-man race between James Harden<\/a><\/strong> and LeBron James<\/a><\/strong>, but Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a><\/strong> is not far behind.<\/p>\n

Harden currently ranks first in Offensive Box Plus\/Minus (10.5), Win Shares per 48 Minutes (.319), Player Efficiency\u00a0Rating (31.0) and ranks second to James in Value Over Replacement Player (3.8). “The Beard” also leads the league in scoring (32.4 points per game) and ranks second to Russell Westbrook<\/a> <\/strong>in assists per game (9.2).<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old Harden has already finished second in MVP voting twice in his career and this season, he has guided the Houston Rockets to the second-best record in the Western Conference. Thanks in large part to Harden and point guard Chris Paul<\/a><\/strong>, the Rockets have scored the most points per game (115.1) and own the highest offensive rating (113.7) in the league.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, James is doing things with the basketball that nobody has done in their age-33-season. Despite playing in seven straight NBA Finals, the wear and tear have not harmed James’ production. He ranks third in points per game (28.1) and assists per game (9.1) while shooting over 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three-point range. He leads the league in Value Over Replacement Player and field goals. After starting the season 4-8, the Cavs are 19-3 since, which included a 13-game win streak.<\/p>\n