The NBA season has reached the midway point, with a record number of players already having gotten minutes. Virus-related issues have forced every team to scramble on some nights to find players with plenty of surprises and, yes, plenty of disappointments. With basically 50 percent of the games played, there’s enough of a body of work to start making some informed looks at the league’s awards. MVP The contenders: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee; Kevin Durant, Brooklyn; Nikola Jokic, Denver; Stephen Curry, Golden State; DeMar DeRozan, Chicago; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. There is still a second half of the season. Right now, anyone from this group of six players—and probably a few other names, too—has a valid case for the award. Antetokounmpo is on his way to averaging at least 28 points and 11 rebounds for a third consecutive season, something nobody has done since Karl Malone from 1989–92. Jokic’s numbers …