Is 76ers' Joel Embiid NBA MVP Favorite After Dominating Celtics?

It’s been a little over a week since Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid fell out of favor with sportsbooks as the NBA’s MVP frontrunner.

After missing the matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets last Monday, a Jokic triple-double against the Sixers caused Embiid to become the player with the second-best odds to win Most Valuable Player.

Fast forward to Tuesday night, and Joel Embiid would once again shake up the MVP picture.

With the Boston Celtics in South Philly on Tuesday, Embiid had an opportunity to state one of his final cases to win the MVP award. Going against the second seed in the Eastern Conference on national TV, a dominant performance could increase Embiid’s odds significantly.

To say Embiid dominated against Boston was an understatement. While the Sixers had their fair share of struggles as a team, Embiid was nothing short of spectacular.

Putting up 25 shots from the field, Embiid made all but five of his shots. As the big man attempted 13 free throws, Embiid made all but one of his foul shots.

For the third time this season, Embiid exceeded 50 points in a single game. Overall, he wrapped up the game with 52 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in the two-point win over the Celtics.

With Jokic cooling off this week as he deals with a setback, Embiid put on a scorching hot performance, which once again placed him as the favorite in many sportsbooks.

PointsBet not only put Embiid back on top at -550, but they snuck Giannis Antetokounmpo in front of Nikola Jokic as well, with odds currently set at +600. Jokic is behind them both at +650.

As for BetOnline, Embiid’s odds are now set at -700. Jokic’s odds are +700, and Antetokounmpo is third at +825.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel set Embiid’s odds at -750. Meanwhile, SI Sportsbook has Embiid as the heavy favorite at -1000. Jokic and Giannis are both set at +800.

Embiid and the Sixers have just three games left before the playoffs. It’s unclear how many games Embiid will appear in before the team takes the week off, but it seems everything is trending in the right direction for the big man after his impressive showing against Boston.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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