Damian Lillard a Heavy Favorite in NBA Player of the Seeding Games Odds; Devin Booker Is +200

• On the back of some spectacular performances, Damian Lillard is the favorite to be named “Player of the Seeding Games”
• Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is Lillard’s closest competitor at +150
• The odds for Player of the Seeding Games and for the All-Seeding Games Teams can be found below

The NBA announced earlier this week that awards will be handed out based on seeding games performances. Considering their decision to exclude these games from other award voting, this is a decision that makes sense. These games mattered and it’s good to see players getting rewarded.

Player of the Seeding Games and All-Seeding Games Teams will be voted on by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters covering the restart. Unlike regular season MVP, these awards are not set to be dominated by teams atop the NBA Championship odds.

The table below has the odds for Player of the Seeding Games, led by Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard.

NBA Player of the Seeding Games Odds

All odds taken August 13th

Phoenix’s Chances

This award comes down to Lillard versus Devin Booker, much like the play-in race in the Western Conference. The Phoenix Suns have been the hottest team in the bubble, winning all seven games, but Lillard has led his Portland Trail Blazers into the eight-seed courtesy of their 5-2 record. Lillard leads the league in minutes per game and scoring in Orlando.

Booker’s candidacy for the award is dependent on if the Suns can make it into the playoffs. Assuming Portland take the eighth seed (they only need to beat the Nets on Thursday to do so), Phoenix needs to beat Dallas and hope the Grizzlies lose to the Bucks to take the play-in spot.

The Suns would need to then win two in a row over Portland to make the playoffs on the weekend. It’s worth noting that Memphis will be playing a Bucks team with nothing to play for, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo suspended – Phoenix making the play-in is far from guaranteed.

The Suns are favored to beat the Mavericks on Thursday with the way they have been playing. Barring an outrageous performance or two from Booker, that’s unlikely to be enough for him to win the award.

Big Numbers for Dame

As great as Booker has been – he’s third in scoring in the seeding games – he is yet to have the kind of historic game that Lillard has. With 45 against Denver, 51 against Philly and 61 in the win over Dallas, Lillard has been pretty much unstoppable. He became only the second player in NBA history with three 60-point games in a season. Only nine other players ever have recorded 10 50-point games in their career. Lillard is in all-time great company, and after a difficult regular season, he has been at the peak of his powers in the bubble.

Booker is capable of similarly outrageous performances. He will need something spectacular in Phoenix’s final seeding games and the play-in to close the gap to Lillard for this award. If it comes down to a play-in between Phoenix and Portland, that could be what wins voters over. Booker will have to outplay Lillard.

Faith In Phoenix?

Fortune has favored the Suns at times, but that’s not to downplay their performances. There were minimal expectations when they arrived in Orlando, seemingly making up the numbers. While all the attention was on Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, Booker and Phoenix stole the limelight, quickly forcing their way into playoff contention.

Deciding whether to back Booker in this market is as much a question of his team as it is of him. The Suns have to win their next three games for him to stand a chance.

As impressive as Phoenix have been, it’s hard to see them beating Portland in consecutive games. This is Lillard’s award to lose, and while the Suns are heading in the right direction, the playoffs might be just out of their reach.

NBA All-Seeding Games Teams Odds

A total of 10 players will be selected to the All-Seeding Games teams. Unlike the All-NBA voting process, these ballots will be position-less. There’s no need to shoehorn in an undeserving center.

The top five spots are pretty much locked up. Lillard and Booker will be joined by bubble star T.J. Warren, the Nuggets’ breakout man in Michael Porter Jr. and Mavericks’ superstar Luka Doncic.

Uncertainty Over Stars

It will be interesting to see how voters approach this. Players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden have posted good numbers, and will likely be selected, but some voters could choose to favor lesser names to reward those who are unlikely to be considered for other awards.

Carmelo Anthony last 3 games

26 PTS – 7 REB – 10/17 FG
20 PTS – 7 REB – 6/13 FG
21 PTS – 7 REB – 8/15 FG

"WaShEd" pic.twitter.com/srmBmCeaSx

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 12, 2020

Paul George, for instance, has played well in Orlando, averaging 25.5 points per game. He sat out the game with Brooklyn, however, and missed the end of the loss to Portland. By his standards this has been good, not great and the Clippers have gone 4-3. With other players impressing on teams under more pressure, George could be overlooked.

With the Blazers likely making the playoffs, Carmelo Anthony could be a good bet here. His return to the NBA has been a leading storyline, and given the level Portland have played at, some voters will be tempted to include some of Lillard’s teammates. In a week when a lot has been made of ‘narrative voters’, that could work in Anthony’s favor.