Joel Embiid made a huge statement in the MVP race with his performance on Tuesday night. The Philadelphia 76ers star scored an impressive 52 points in a 103-101 win over the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center. Embiid was extremely efficient, shooting 20-of-25 from the field and making history in the process. He became the first center to record at least three 50-point games in a single season since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971-72, and the second player in NBA history to drop 50 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while shooting 80% or better from the field in a game. Embiid's coach, Doc Rivers, believes the MVP race is over, saying "the man just scored half our points in an NBA game."
Embiid's performance further cements his place in the race for the MVP award, where he is competing with the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic. All three players have had incredible seasons, making it tough to choose a clear winner. Embiid is currently averaging a league-best 33 points per game, 2.6 points higher than his average last season when he won the scoring title. He is also adding 10.2 rebounds per game and shooting a career-high 54% from the field.
The 76ers are still unlikely to jump into second place in the Eastern Conference standings before the season ends on Sunday, but Embiid's recent performances have certainly made his case for MVP even stronger. With just a few games left in the regular season, it will be interesting to see how the MVP race plays out.
0 Comments