The latest news out of the NBA is that Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham will miss at least two weeks with a collapsed lung, meaning his MVP odds for this season have taken a massive hit. But at the same time, Luka Doncic‘s MVP odds have been surging, as the star for the Los Angeles Lakers continues to put together strong performances while the team has won six games in a row.
Neither Cunningham nor Doncic has been the top favorite for the MVP award for most of the year. Still, after the latest injury update to the Pistons’ star, and the Lakers’ franchise player putting together perhaps the best run of his tenure in Los Angeles, odds for the NBA’s top regular-season award have shifted drastically.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the favorite to win the MVP award this season, with Victor Wembanyama a bit behind, followed by Nikola Jokic, Jaylen Brown, and Doncic, according to most major sportsbooks.
Luka Doncic MVP Odds Surge Amid Lakers Winning Streak
While Doncic was one of the top favorites to win the MVP award earlier in the year, he dropped down in the odds as the Lakers struggled to find a rhythm.
However, with Los Angeles on a seven-game winning streak and Doncic setting records on a near-nightly basis, his MVP odds have skyrocketed over the past few weeks.
According to Draftkings, he is the fourth favorite for the award with +3500 odds, and according to FanDuel, he is third, with those same odds.
In March, Doncic is averaging 34.9 points, nine rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.9 steals on 49/39.4/74.6, while the Lakers have gone 9-1. In that span, there is a near 50-point triple-double, as well as two 40-point games, and seven in a row in which he’s scored at least 30 points.
Based on the numbers, Doncic leads the MVP odds favorite Gilgeous-Alexander in most statistical categories, but with the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s regular-season dominance, the Canadian is still the favorite for the award.
Yet still, with the Lakers surging up the Western Conference standings, and Doncic’s only increasing performances as the season has gone on, he is making a strong case to win MVP.
In Los Angeles’ second win against the Houston Rockets in a row, he had 40 points, nine rebounds, and ten assists. During the Lakers’ win streak, he has broken team records, passing Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson in multiple categories, as well as breaking league records with his play in March.
Cade Cunningham Injury Update On Collapsed Lung
Cunningham was previously high up in the NBA MVP odds race this season as he helped lead the Pistons to the top seed in the East. However, after a few lackluster performances and team losses, his odds slowly dropped.
Now, Cunningham appears to be out of the MVP race, based on the latest injury update for the star.
According to Shams Charania, Cunningham has a collapsed lung and is at risk of missing the start of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
“Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to miss an extended period of time. Sources told Charania that the collapse of Cunningham’s lung is considered mild,” ESPN wrote. “There is some optimism that Cunningham will be back in time for the start of the playoffs, which begin on April 18, according to sources.”
Most recently, it was announced by Detroit that Cunningham would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Still, that puts him at major risk of missing out on end-of-season awards, based on the NBA’s 65-game rule that requires players to play in that many games to be in consideration for awards and All-NBA honors.
“If Cunningham misses more than a couple of weeks, the absence could impact his eligibility for All-NBA and other end-of-season honors,” Hunter Patterson wrote for The Athletic. “He’s appeared in 61 games, but only 60 of those count toward the league’s 65-game threshold. He left Tuesday’s game after playing just five minutes.”
On the season, Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on 46.1% shooting.
But while he is now out, his MVP odds have plunged, and at the same time, Doncic’s odds have surged. Wembanyama is also making a strong case for the award, but Gilgeous-Alexander remains the favorite, hoping to repeat for the MVP as he earned the honor last year.
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