Did Embiid Lose MVP Favorite Status After Missing Jokic Battle?
Following a second-straight loss against the Phoenix Suns, Joel Embiid threw out the possibility of missing a game soon. As the Philadelphia 76ers center acknowledged that he felt as sluggish as he looked out in Phoenix, Embiid knew it would be best to take time off — especially as he’s dealing with calf tightness with the playoffs approaching.
There wasn’t a game Embiid targeted to take off, but Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were next up on the schedule. In the first go-round against Jokic, Embiid nearly dropped 50 points and collected 18 rebounds in the win over the Nuggets.
Many wanted to see how Jokic would respond in his own house, but Embiid was ruled out on Monday morning due to calf tightness following the team’s shootaround.
In the absence of the Sixers’ big man, Jokic had himself a stellar night. Checking in for 35 minutes, the Nuggets center scored 25 points while draining 73 percent of his shots. He made it a triple-double by coming down with 17 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists.
It was an MVP-caliber performance in a five-point win against a shorthanded Sixers team. Many assumed that Jokic’s night would allow the Nuggets' big man to re-insert himself as the favorite to win the MVP award. After scouring through the odds from several notable sportsbooks, that tends to be the case.
According to SI Sportsbook, Jokic is favored at +100, with Embiid behind him at +110. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was getting some notable MVP love a couple of weeks back, but he’s far behind with odds set at +450.
As for PointsBet, Jokic is favored at +100, with Embiid (+135) and Giannis (+325) behind him. Per BetOnline, Jokic is placed at -105, with Embiid at +130 and Giannis at +525.
DraftKings set the odds for Jokic at +105 while Embiid is at +115. Then FanDuel listed Jokic at +110 with Embiid at +125.
In summary, Embiid has fallen out of favor at this point in the year. The good news for the Sixers’ big man is that he’s not too far behind and still has seven games to improve his campaign. The unfortunate news is that Embiid’s calf tightness won’t magically disappear, and playoffs are more important at this time of the year.
With his status as questionable against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, Embiid could potentially miss his second-straight game. Then beyond that, his availability will be questioned for the final six games of the regular season.
If Embiid is able to convince voters to take his side in the end, he’ll collect his first MVP trophy. If not, the award would more than likely end up in Jokic’s hands, giving the Denver big man his third consecutive MVP nod.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
