ESPN straw poll has Nikola Jokic running away with MVP

Out of the 101 votes cast by members of the media in a recent ESPN NBA MVP straw poll, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic garnered 90

BY JOHNNY HART

Apr 15, 2021, 5:00 PM Updated: 5:07 pm

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There’s not a whole lot of news for Denver Nuggets fans to celebrate this week, but a recent ESPN straw poll for NBA MVP might do some cheering up.

Out of 101 first-place votes cast by NBA media members, Nuggets center garnered 90, and far more total points than anyone else up for debate.

Jokic finished with 964 total points, well ahead of the next two players on the list — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (82) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (81).

The Nuggets star was also the only player on all 101 ballots.

A banner year for the big man, Jokic has played in each of the Nuggets 55 games through Thursday while setting a career high for minutes played (35.4).

Jokic has also set career highs for points (26), steals (1.5), assists (8.8) and rebounds (10.9) per game.