NBA betting: Giannis takes co-lead for MVP odds, but watch out for Joel Embiid

Stephen Curry has been the NBA MVP favorite in the betting market since very early in the season. He has company now.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, has joined Curry at the top of the list. Both players are +300 at BetMGM to win MVP.

There shouldn't be much argument there. Curry and the Golden State Warriors got off to a tremendous start this season. Antetokounmpo has been a consistent force, even if the Bucks have been somewhat disappointing.

Either superstar could win, but maybe this is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid's shot to become a first-time MVP.

Joel Embiid has been on a roll

Embiid has been a big riser in the MVP odds. He is +325, the third favorite behind Curry and Antetokounmpo.

Nikola Jokic, who won MVP last season and has played at the same level this season, is +375. Everyone else is at least 16-to-1 odds (though Ja Morant, who is at +1600, could be a great value bet).

There is plenty of time for someone to steal the award. MVP awards are often settled in the final weeks of a season. And Embiid is checking a lot of boxes.

Sixers fans believe Embiid should have beat Jokic for the award last season, and he has been even better this season. His points, rebounds and assists have all ticked up slightly. Embiid has missed 11 games this season, but it was due to a COVID-19 absence. Embiid has dealt with many injuries and missed time was a reason he didn't win MVP last season, but it's hard to believe a COVID-related absence would be held against him. Embiid has played in 27 of 28 games since returning. And he has been amazing, scoring 50, 40, 38 and 42 points his last four games. He has scored at least 31 points in 14 of his last 15 games.

In the 11 games Embiid missed, the 76ers were 3-8. With him, they're 25-11. That's a pretty good argument for his value.

NBA MVP race tightening up

No matter the sport, voters seem to look for first-time MVPs. Curry and Antetokounmpo have each won it twice. Only eight players have ever won more than two and it's a who's who of the sport's history.

If voters can find a reason to give Embiid (or someone like Morant) his first MVP, they probably will. Curry started great but has been in a relative slump for a while. Curry is averaging 20.8 points per game over the last 30 days, which has dragged down his season average to 25.8. Antetokounmpo has been typically great but it might not be exciting to give him an MVP vote, especially if the Bucks don't jump up to at least a top-three seed in the East.

Embiid has been a great player for years, a star in the sport and he plays in a huge market. If he can stay on the court most nights, he's going to put up huge numbers. A lot of the value is gone from betting him to win MVP. But it's not too late to get him before he takes over as the favorite. That will happen if this hot streak continues.