Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander ascend to NBA MVP favorites with Embiid sidelined by knee injury

By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer

DENVER (AP) — The NBA MVP is more wide open now that Joel Embiid’s chances of winning the coveted trophy a second straight year just ended. The Philadelphia big man was the odds-on favorite to capture the award at the midway mark of the season before the announcement he would need surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee. Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo now top the list of candidates. This also could be the year of the dark horse as someone not named Embiid, Jokic or Antetokounmpo attempts to hoist the NBA MVP trophy for the first time since 2017-18.