Nikola Jokić Heavily Favored over Giannis, Embiid to Win NBA MVP in ESPN Straw Poll

Leading the top team in the Western Conference heading into the All-Star break, Nikola Jokić is the heavy favorite to win his third consecutive MVP award in the latest straw poll conducted by ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

The informal poll includes votes from 100 different media members and asks them to rank their top five MVP candidates using point totals determined with the same scoring system used by the official NBA vote.

Jokić and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid were the only players named on every ballot. Jokić received 77 first-place votes and 913 total points. Giannis Antetokounmpo came in second place with 11 first-place votes and 552 points, followed by Embiid in third with six first-place votes and 490 points.

This is the second straw poll of the season from Bontemps. The first one, posted on Dec. 16, was a two-man race at the top between Antetokounmpo and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Tatum had the edge over Antetokounmpo with 11 more first-place votes (47 to 36) and 72 more points (759 to 687). Jokić was in fifth place at that point, behind Luka Dončić and Stephen Curry.

At the time of that first poll, Tatum was averaging 30.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. The Celtics were 22-7 and were on pace to have the best offense in NBA history.

In the three months since the initial poll, Tatum is still playing at a high level and ranks fourth in the updated poll. He is averaging 31.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in his last 27 starts. The Celtics overall have cooled down with a 20-10 record since Dec. 16. The offense ranks third in rating and fourth in points per game overall.

Jokić, meanwhile, is putting together arguably his best season coming off of back-to-back MVP campaigns. The 27-year-old is averaging a triple-double with 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game.

The Nuggets' 41-18 record leads the Western Conference by five games over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Antetokounmpo is making a strong push for the award since returning from a knee injury that kept him out of action for five straight games. He's averaging 37.2 points, 13.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game during the Bucks' 11-game winning streak.

Milwaukee has closed to within one game of the Celtics for the NBA's best record.

Embiid has the Sixers right on the heels of Boston and Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference. They are 38-19 going into the All-Star break. He ranks second in the NBA in scoring average (33.1 points per game) and is tied for ninth in rebounds (10.2).

Jokić can become the fourth player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird are the only players who have accomplished the feat thus far.