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Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry losing ground in MVP race

By Tony Pesta

DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter at American Airlines Center on January 03, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter at American Airlines Center on January 03, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Stephen Curry opened up the year in dominant fashion, leading his Golden State Warriors to the top and generating distance between himself and the rest of the league. Now, the race for the MVP is catching up to him.

The Golden State Warriors have hit some speedbumps as Stephen Curry’s hopes for another MVP award are being contested by other greats.

From the start of the season to Dec. 1, Curry ranked as the NBA’s second-leading scorer at 27.8 points per game. The Warriors were 19-3, fresh off a seven-game win streak and Curry was head and shoulders above the pack in the MVP race.

Fast forward to January and the race is getting a bit tighter.

Curry is now sixth in scoring, with LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Trae Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo surpassing him. His squad has gone just 2-3 over the last five games and Curry has had multiple clunkers since December. In fact, he had the two worst shooting nights of his career recently.

Other candidates are on fire

In contrast, other candidates for MVP are on the rise. LeBron is setting records at his age, averaging 34.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists over his last 10 games as the Los Angeles Lakers have come roaring back into sixth place in the West.

Meanwhile, Embiid is on a similar tear, posting 33.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in Philadephia’s six-game win streak. The seven-footer has made nearly 45 percent of his 3-point attempts during this stretch.

As for Giannis, he is posting his usual MVP-like statistics while contending for the best record in the Eastern Conference. The same trend goes for last year’s winner, Nikola Jokic, who is on pace for the highest PER in NBA history.

NBA.com’s weekly MVP ladder has Curry sitting in fifth place. He was third a week ago. The last time he led was Dec. 24.

While Curry has built up a strong resume up to this point in the season, it is clear the rest of the NBA is starting to muddy the race. Curry will need to rattle off a string of impressive games in order to get himself ahead of the pack once more.

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