The MVP race in the NBA this season is going to go right down to the wire. Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have been jostling for the top spot throughout the season, as Embiid had some choice words when discussing the award recently.

Embiid, right now, is trailing Jokic in the race to win MVP as the Denver Nuggets’ center is the odds on favorite to take home the award with -333 odds. Those odds were likely solidified by Jokic setting a new NBA record this week.

Jokic became the first player to ever score 2,000 points with 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in the same season.

Whenever you set a record, you are putting yourself in a great position to take home some hardware at the end of the season. Jokic didn’t offer much of a reaction following the game that he set the record in, saying it was cool and that he liked it.

What he likely enjoyed the most about the record-setting performance was that it clinched a spot for the Denver Nuggets outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament. The victory over the Memphis Grizzlies ensured that Denver will be the sixth seed in the Western Conference, setting up a first-round matchup with either the Golden State Warriors or Dallas Mavericks.

On the season, Nikola Jokic has averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks in 33.5 minutes per game. He has scored efficiently throughout the season, making 58.3 percent of his shots overall, 33.7 percent of his 3-pointers, and 81 percent of his free throws.

The reigning MVP has made a great case to win the award for a second consecutive season, which would make him the 11th player in league history to win back-to-back awards. It has happened 12 times, with LeBron James accomplishing the feat twice.

James’s feat came in a five-season span, as he won in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013. Larry Bird is the only player to have won the award three consecutive times, taking it home in 1984, 1985, and 1986.