NBA odds: Warriors title and Curry's MVP odds surge ahead of Warriors-Suns

When the Golden State Warriors were on their magical run from 2015-2018, fans, bettors and oddsmakers didn't think those core players could ever recreate that same kind of dynamic. But here we are, three years removed from their last NBA title, and the Warriors are re-emerging as the best in the West.

And while it's accurate to say that the Warriors are the best in the West, it's a gross understatement. Simply put, they are hot. Blazing, even.

Much of their success so far has been because of 33-year-old guard Steph Curry. At FOX Bet, the former two-time MVP is currently listed at the very top of the NBA MVP odds board at +130. His MVP odds have shortened considerably since the preseason, where they started at +500. The next closest player to Curry in that category is Brooklyn Nets' star Kevin Durant, at +450. 

It's Steph's prolific shooting that's carried GS to their current 18-2 record and, of course, made him both a fan and MVP favorite. Chef Curry leads the NBA in 3-pointers, is tied for first (with Durant) for average points scored per game at 28.6 and is shooting 46.6 percent from the field. 

But tonight, the Warriors — who are enjoying the franchise's second-best start in history — are running up on the Chris Paul-led Phoenix Suns. And it's worth arguing that the Suns are just as blazing, pun intended, as their in-conference foes.

At 17-3, Phoenix is fresh off its own extraordinary season. Paul, with help from star guard Devin Booker and a relatively young squad, advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993. At FOX Bet, Coach Monty Williams' squad is sitting at +1300 to win this year's championship. Those sixth-best odds are longer than the Warriors' — second-best +600 — so tonight's game will be huge in determining which of these two west coast teams can keep their current pace.

Speaking of offensive threats, the Sun's Booker is putting up great numbers in his own right. He's averaging 23.9 points per game, which has put him on bettors' radars to win league MVP. 

"In the past two months, Curry has shortened from +500 to +130 and is now the clear favorite to win the award with an implied probability of 43.5%," FOX Bet sports trader Dylan Brossman said. "The Suns have a Superstar of their own — Devin Booker — who is averaging nearly 24-5-5 for a team with a 17-3 record but still stands at +4000 (2.4% implied probability) to win the MVP award."

This leads us to tonight, the biggest game of the young NBA season. Tuesday's battle between the Warriors and Suns is a battle of Western Conference elites. The teams with the two best records in the NBA will go head-to-head for league supremacy. Phoenix is currently a 3-point favorite heading into tonight's big game (Suns must win by more than 3 points or the Warriors cover).

Golden State comes into this matchup on a seven-game win streak, while Phoenix has run off an NBA best 16 games straight. The 16-game winning streak started on October 30th. Per Brossman, during Phoenix's run, they have outscored their opponents by an average of 11.6 points per game. In the same timeframe, the Warriors have had two winning streaks of their own — a couple of seven-game streaks disrupted by a four-point loss at Charlotte. Their average margin of victory in that same span is an impressive 16.5 points.

As for the MVP, Brossman said Curry has attracted the most bets to win the award. Understandably so.

"Since late October, Steph has two 40-point games and one 50-point game under his belt," Brossman stated. "These big-time performances have helped the Warriors steamroll opponents while also continuing to attract bettors to throw money on Curry to win NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award."

The scary part for the league is, the Warriors are getting reinforcements too, as big man James Wiseman and guard Klay Thompson are set to return soon. Before injuries forced Klay's two-year hiatus, the other Splash Brother ranked 20th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game. Though Steph ranks eighth in the league in shots made per game, averaging 9.42, adding Thompson back to the tandem will take Golden State's offense to another level.

So where are you throwing your bucks for tonight's battle between two of the NBA's best teams? Get in on the betting action right now, and get ready for an exciting night of hoops!

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