Google News Embiid Emerges as MVP Favorite After Dominant Performance
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Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers center, solidified his case for the NBA Most Valuable Player award with a dominant performance against the Boston Celtics. In a 103-101 victory for the 76ers, Embiid recorded 52 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists, and shot an impressive 20-25 from the field.
This marks only the third time in NBA history that a center has scored 50 or more points in three games in a single season, following in the footsteps of Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Centers to have three 50-point games in a season:
â–«ï¸ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
â–«ï¸ Wilt Chamberlain
â–«ï¸ Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/BeuEY8ePWo — ESPN (@espn) April 5, 2023
A Statistician's Dream
Embiid's performance was nothing short of extraordinary, as he became only the second player in NBA history to score 50 or more points, grab 10 or more rebounds, dish out 5 or more assists, and shoot 80% or better from the field.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers was quick to declare the MVP race over, stating, "The MVP race is over." Embiid himself was humble in the face of such praise, joking, "They’re probably right. But we have bigger goals in mind." Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets center and one of Embiid's biggest competitors for the MVP award, struggled in a 124-103 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Jokic finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, significantly reducing his chances of winning the MVP award for the third year in a row. Jokic reflected on the loss, saying, "The whole game was in their favor.
Even when we were finding open shots, we couldn’t make shots. We didn’t make free throws, they were blocking our shots, we had a huge amount of turnovers — it was a one-sided game." Embiid's dominant performance and Jokic's struggles make it increasingly likely that Embiid will take home the MVP award this season.
With such a strong case for the award, it's hard to argue against Embiid as the most valuable player in the league. Other results: Tonto - Charlotte 120:100, Miami - Detroit 118:105, Cleveland - Orlando 117:113, Milwaukee - Washington 140:128, Minnesota - Brooklyn 107:102, Atlanta - Chicago 123:105, Portland - Memphis 109: 119, Sacramento - New Orleans 121:103, LA Lakers - Utah 135:133.
