SGA Hailed by Fans as NBA MVP Favorite over Nikola Jokic after Thunder Beat Nuggets

Two MVP frontrunners battled it out on Sunday as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder got a convincing win over Nikola Jokić's Denver Nuggets 127-103.

Gilgeous-Alexander had an MVP-caliber game, dropping 40 points, five assists and eight boards along with three blocks in the win. It was his 40th 30-point game and 11th 40-point game this season. He's now posted 40 or more points in his last three games.

The scoring outburst improved his MVP odds drastically.

Jokić had a commendable performance as well, posting 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but ultimately it wasn't enough to propel his team to a win over the best team in the West.

After getting the win, fans hyped Gilgeous-Alexander's chances to take home his first MVP award this season.

Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić have made strong cases to win MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander is putting up 32.8 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and a block per game. He leads the league in scoring and his Thunder are the No. 1 seed in the West by a mile.

Jokić, who has already won the award three times, is having another historic season, averaging 28.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game. Earlier this week, he made history by posting 31 points, 22 assists and 21 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns. It was the first 30, 20 and 20 game in NBA history and the most assists in a single game by a center.

Gilgeous-Alexander got a boost to his resume with Sunday's win, but those with an MVP vote will likely have a hard time choosing between the two stars.

The two MVP hopefuls will get another matchup on Monday in Oklahoma City.