Joel Embiid All But Wraps Up MVP Award In 76ers-Celtics Game On Tuesday Night
The Philadelphia 76ers once again have high championship aspirations this season and this is in large part because of how dominant Joel Embiid has been.
Finishing as the runner-up for the league’s Most Valuable Player award in back-to-back years now, Embiid has quickly turned into the overwhelming favorite to finally win the award this season, especially after his monumental performance against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
Playing in a total of 39 minutes against Boston, Embiid recorded 52 points on 20-25 shooting, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks, leading Philadelphia to a 103-101 victory.
Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets and Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks are also going to be mentioned in the conversation for this season’s MVP award, but this was a historic performance for Joel Embiid and it all but wraps up this year’s race for the Most Valuable Player award.
“The MVP race is over,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said after Embiid’s 52-point night. “Tonight, we couldn’t make shots… The man just scored half of our points in an NBA game. I am biased, but the MVP race is over.”
This was surely one of Joel Embiid’s best games of his career and it could not have come at a better time for the All-Star center.
Very little has separated Embiid from Jokic in this year’s MVP race, but Tuesday night was a historic game for the 76ers’ big man.
With his 52 points, this was Embiid’s third game this season with at least 50 points, joining the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only other centers in league history to have at least three games with at least 50 points in a single season.
In addition, Embiid became just the second player in NBA history to record 50 points, ten rebounds and five assists in a game while shooting 80 percent or better from the floor, joining Wilt Chamberlain who did so twice in his career.
Voters for the NBA’s MVP award are always looking for that “it” factor and something that separates a player from others. For Joel Embiid, not only is a 50-point night at the end of the season in a critical game stunning, but he has been doing this all season long.
Joel Embiid leads the league in scoring and could be well on his way to a second consecutive scoring title, plus he has the 76ers in a prime position to contend in the Eastern Conference.
There has not been a more dominant scorer in the NBA this season, which is why this season’s MVP race belongs to Joel Embiid.
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