Latest Odds Make Kawhi Leonard New NBA Finals MVP Favourite

With the Raptors taking a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night Kawhi Leonard has emerged as the new NBA Finals MVP paying -200 at Sports Interaction.

“Leonard and [Kyle] Lowry (+5000) are our biggest liabilities for playoff MVP,” according to the Sports Interaction Lines Management team.

Leonard has averaged 30.9 points per game in 21 post-season games, and has also registered at least 30 points in 13 games. Only Michael Jordan (4x), Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant (2x), and LeBron James (2x) have recorded that many 30+ games in a single playoffs run.

Leonard is coming off another incredible showing that helped the Raptors steal Game 3 on the road against a shorthanded Warriors club. He put up 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a pair of steals to help the Raptors run away with an outright upset as 3-point underdogs.

Lowry was instrumental in the win as well. He buried 15 first-half points and finished with 23 to go along with nine assists.

“He’s such a smart basketball player and he controls a lot of the pace for them,” Curry (who had 47 points in a losing effort and was the MVP favourite before Game 3) told reporters of Toronto’s point guard. “Nights where he gets it going scoring-wise he can make it tough on you because they do have a lot of weapons around and they like to space the floor. He has the ball in his hand a lot as a distributor, but when he can turn it on, putting the ball in the basket, it’s just that much tougher.”

The Raptors and Warriors meet in Game 4 Friday night in Oakland. Oddsmakers currently have Toronto set as a 5.5-point underdog with the total at 217.