Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from win vs. Bucks

1. Why isn’t Kawhi the frontrunner for MVP, exactly?

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been consistently at the top of most MVP ladders for quite some time now, with Toronto’s own Kawhi Leonard steadily being right behind him. But maybe games like this one should change the MVP odds in favor of Kawhi Leonard.

You could make a case that Giannis was unstoppable in Saturday’s matchup and that there was nothing that Kawhi Leonard could do to contain him. You would also be wrong.

Antetokounmpo took roughly 31 percent of Milwaukee’s total shots and had the ball in his hands most of the time. Yeah, it’s what he does in most games, but right there is the big difference between Giannis and Kawhi.

Leonard was able to dominate the game without having the ball in his hands that much. In fact, he didn’t even take the most shots in his team. However, he finished the game with five steals, while Giannis had six turnovers.

Meanwhile, as Leonard was defending Giannis almost every time out, Giannis didn’t even bother to guard Leonard. He spent the entire evening on Pascal Siakam, who, by the way, ended up setting a new career-high of 30 points.

Two top teams in the NBA. Two top players in the NBA. One matchup in January obviously doesn’t decide the MVP race, and James Harden has come on strong lately, but games like this one will factor in when it’s time to vote at the end of the year.