Two months ago, this year's race for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award looked as competitive as any in recent memory.
But injuries have laid waste to the deep field of contenders, leaving Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic clearly standing above the rest of the field.
Jokic, who has not missed a game this season, took 90 of the 101 first-place votes cast in ESPN's latest MVP straw poll, conducted this past weekend. If that result holds when the official ballots are cast next month, Jokic would be the first center to win MVP since Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal in 2000.