Head coach Doc Rivers boldly proclaimed Joel Embiid as the Most Valuable Player of this 2022-23 season after the superstar big man delivered one of the biggest nights in his career against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday
Embiid turned into a legitimate monster against the C’s, shattering the scoreboard with his 52 points in a highly efficient 20-for-25 shooting. He also crashed another game-high in 13 rebounds and dished out six assists to eventually propel Philly to a 103-101 statement win over their conference rival.
“The MVP race is over. Really,” Rivers said in his presser, per Ky Carlin of USA Today. “Tonight, we couldn’t make shots. The man just scored half our points in an NBA game, and I’m biased, but the MVP race is over.”
With his all-time performance, Embiid became the second player since Wilt Chamberlain to tally 50 points, 10 boards, five assists, and 80 percent shooting in a game (h/t ESPN’s Stats & Info). The late great center did it twice in his illustrious career.
The fact that Embiid is leading the association in points (33.3), being consistent all year long, and splendidly carrying the Sixers (52-27) in the East’s third-seed, star counterpart James Harden believes that his teammate truly deserves his own flowers.
“Joel should win it,” said Harden. “He’s been in contention for these last few years. He led the league in scoring last year, just like he’s gonna lead the league in scorer this year. We’re the third seed in the East. He’s been playing, honestly, the best consistent all year.”
The Cameroonian star can’t also ask for a better opportunity to deliver a huge swing in his MVP case this year, as Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were outlasted by the Houston Rockets this Tuesday. The reigning two-time MVP went passive with his 14 points, 10 boards, and four assists while tallying eight turnovers and a -21 +/- against the league tailenders.
Amid the overwhelming campaigns by the Sixers in his MVP chase, Embiid reiterated that they got much bigger things to achieve moving forward.
“I mean, I don’t know. They’re probably right, but we got bigger goals,” Embiid said. “They’re probably right, but we got bigger goals in mind. We understand we got a chance, but it’s not gonna be easy.”
Embiid still has three more regular season games available to play to put that finishing touches on his MVP odds, as the Sixers will face the Miami Heat up next on Thursday.
