PointsBet Pays out Nikola Jokic MVP Futures Early
According to a release on Thursday, PointsBet has decided to make early payouts to fans who bet on Nikola Jokic to win the Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year. In a gesture of goodwill that its customers will surely appreciate, PointsBet is also awarding fans who bet on Joel Embiid to win MVP with a free bet up to $25.
The NBA Awards are still several months out, but we are confident that Nikola Jokic will win MVP once again 🃏
Today, we will be paying out all Jokic MVP bettors, and we will be giving all Joel Embiid MVP bettors a free bet! pic.twitter.com/j9IG9YQiiN
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) April 21, 2022
Confidence in Jokic Winning MVP
Kyle Christensen, Chief Marketing Officer at PointsBet USA, noted that the sportsbook is “confident Jokic will once again be named MVP, and rather than waiting for the official announcement from the league, we have decided to provide an early payout for PointsBet users that have placed their money on ‘The Joker’.”
The 2021-22 MVP market closed on PointsBet with Nikola Jokic as a -350 favorite to win, although he was as high as +2000 during the season. Joel Embiid closed at +300 despite being the favorite at -150 just under two months ago. This was one of the closer MVP races in recent memory, but the result is likely to be a Jokic win.
Nikola Jokic’s Impressive Season
The Denver Nuggets currently find themselves down 0-2 in the first round to the Golden State Warriors, but the MVP is a regular-season award, and by most metrics, Jokic was the best player in the NBA this season. Denver finished with a 48-34 record despite Jamal Murray missing the entire season and Michael Porter Jr. only playing nine games.
Jokic led the NBA with a PER (player efficiency rating) of 32.8, 15.2 win shares, a +13.7 BPM (box plus-minus), and a VORP (value over replacement player) of +9.8. He also became the first player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season. Perhaps most impressively, he did all of this as a center, and while ranking just 10th in usage rating – Embiid ranked second, for comparison.
The reigning #KiaMVP added to his crafty dime collection this season! 🃏
Nikola Jokic and the @nuggets look to get on the board tonight vs. GSW with Game 3 at 10pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/QsSxHbwDau
— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2022
PointsBet Continues to Win with Customer Service
Often regarded as one of the top sportsbooks for its relentless pursuit of excellent customer service, PointsBet has continued to strive to allow bettors to live their “Bet Life.” Christensen noted that the $25 free bet for Embiid bettors is an “extension of our customer service approach” after the end of a “close race” that saw Embiid as the “favorite for a good portion of the season.”
In a recent survey published by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a “boutique research firm focused on servicing the gaming equipment, sports, and interactive gaming sectors within the global gaming industry,” PointsBet ranked third behind only DraftKings and FanDuel when considering the mobile app experience, not including actual market share.
Latest @EilersKrejcik US online sportsbook app rankings, taking into account UX, betting interface, aestetics and other tech features (NOT market share, etc):
1) DraftKings
2) FanDuel
3) PointsBet
4) BetRivers
5) BetMGM
6) SugarHouse
7) Barstool
8) bet365
9) WynnBet
10) FOX Bet— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) April 20, 2022
2022-23 MVP Odds Posted
Most sportsbooks have yet to post odds for individual awards for the 2022-23 NBA season as we’re still in the early stages of the postseason, but PointsBet posted its MVP odds for next season on Thursday. The following are the odds as of Thursday:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: +400
- Luka Doncic: +550
- Joel Embiid: +650
- Jayson Tatum: +700
- Nikola Jokic: +700
- Kevin Durant: +700
- Ja Morant: +1600
- Stephen Curry: +1600
- Devin Booker: +2000
- Kawhi Leonard: +2000