NBA MVP Race Player Rankings: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic vie for No. 1

Mar 26, 2018; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the third quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won the game 123-104. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

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NBA Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

10. player. 41. . . Previous: 8th. Stephen Curry

Since last rank: 23.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.0 APG

Shooting splits: .500/.517/1.000

Stephen Curry has had a quiet scoring week despite his lethal efficiency. His lower scoring totals are a result of fewer trips to the free throw line than usual with just two in three games. This is a huge drop compared to his 5.3 free throws per game this season. It’s likely an aberration, but those points add up quickly.

After a cold start to the season, Curry is up to 40.8 percent from 3-point range and he’s shooting 45.8 percent from long range over his last nine games. In that span, he’s scoring 27.6 points per game on splits of .506/.458/.903, and that’s basically MVP Steph.

147. . . Previous: . James Harden. 9. player

Since last rank: 28.0 PPG, 13.0 APG, 9.0 RPG

Shooting splits: .529/.533/1.000

James Harden has eeked his way back into the top 10 thanks to a killer past week for the Brooklyn Nets. Yes, it’s one-sided as he’s part of what might be the worst defense in NBA history, but he’s paid tens of millions of dollars annually to score points, and he’s done just that.

He’s been hyper-efficient, racking up tons of rebounds and assists while shooting over 50 percent from 3-point range. It would be hard to do more so in the past week than James Harden has done and he may become firmly entrenched in the top 10 if he keeps this up.