NBA Finals MVP Odds: Jalen Brunson Emerges as Favorite After Knicks Steal Game 1

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Written By Nick Crain | Published at June 4, 2026
Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA;New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts in the second half during game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The NBA Finals are officially underway, and the New York Knicks couldn’t have asked for a better start to the series. Despite opening on the road against the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks pulled off a 105-95 victory in Game 1, stealing home-court advantage and immediately shifting pressure onto San Antonio entering Game 2.

With New York now leading the series 1-0, FanDuel has updated its NBA Finals MVP odds. While there is still plenty of basketball left to be played, the betting market has already made one thing clear: this has become a two-man race between Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama.

It’s not surprising to see Brunson take over as the favorite after Game 1. The Knicks star has been the engine behind New York’s playoff run and once again delivered on the biggest stage. More importantly, history is on his side. Finals MVP almost always goes to the best player on the championship team, and with New York now holding a 1-0 series lead, Brunson naturally finds himself in the driver’s seat.

At the same time, the odds suggest this race is far from over.

Wembanyama remains just behind Brunson at +120, essentially making this a coin flip between the two superstars. While the Spurs dropped Game 1, Wembanyama remains San Antonio’s clear path to a championship. If the Spurs bounce back and ultimately win the series, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else taking home Finals MVP honors.

In fact, from a pure betting value perspective, there’s a strong argument that Wembanyama may be the better play than Brunson despite sitting behind him in the odds. Brunson’s number is now pricing in a Knicks championship to some degree. Wembanyama, meanwhile, only needs San Antonio to recover and win four games before becoming the overwhelming favorite to claim the award.

The most interesting value play on the board, however, may be Karl-Anthony Towns at +1200.

While Brunson and Wembanyama dominate the headlines, Towns has a legitimate path to winning Finals MVP if the Knicks ultimately capture the championship. Game 1 provided a glimpse into that possibility.

For one, Towns did an excellent job battling Wembanyama on both ends of the floor. Any player capable of slowing down San Antonio’s superstar while still producing offensively is going to receive significant attention from voters. If Towns continues to hold his own in that matchup throughout the series, it could become one of the defining storylines of the Finals.

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There’s also the durability factor.

Brunson briefly exited Game 1 with an apparent knee injury before returning and then appeared to tweak his ankle during the contest as well. There’s no indication that he’ll miss time, but injuries are always something to monitor during a long playoff run. If the Knicks win the championship but Brunson is limited at any point later in the series, Towns could suddenly emerge as New York’s most compelling Finals MVP candidate.

At 12-to-1 odds, that’s enough of a path to make Towns one of the most intriguing bets on the board.

Further down the list, things become much more difficult to project.

OG Anunoby sits at +8000 for New York, while Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox all appear as longshots for San Antonio. While each player is talented enough to produce a memorable performance, their paths to winning the award are much narrower than those of Brunson, Wembanyama or Towns.

The Spurs guards are especially difficult to trust from a betting perspective. Castle, Harper and Fox all occupy a similar space in the market, and if Wembanyama somehow doesn’t win Finals MVP in a Spurs championship scenario, it’s hard to know which of those three would emerge as the alternative candidate. Rather than one clear challenger, San Antonio’s non-Wembanyama vote could end up split among multiple players, making each individual wager significantly riskier.

Ultimately, the betting market is sending a clear message after Game 1. Brunson and Wembanyama are the two players most likely to win Finals MVP, and everyone else is currently chasing from a distance.

Still, Towns remains the most intriguing value option if you’re looking beyond the favorites. His matchup against Wembanyama, his importance to New York’s success and the uncertainty that always comes with a long playoff series give him a much more realistic path than his odds might initially suggest.

With potentially six games still remaining, the Finals MVP race is far from decided. One dominant performance, one momentum-changing victory or one unexpected twist could completely reshape the odds board.

That’s what makes the NBA Finals so compelling. Legacies can be defined in just four wins.

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