The NBA set the stage for a battle between two generational talents on Tuesday as Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers took the reigning champions Denver Nuggets and Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. Both players put on a show as the Sixers came at the top 121-126 in front of a roaring crowd in Philadelphia.
Embiid had nothing but praise for Nikola Jokic after putting his Nuggets under the sword scoring 41 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds. Aside from Embiid who took over in the 4th quarter scoring 11 points, Jokic also did his part with 24 points and 19 rebounds, but Denver fell short at the end.
“Both of us, we are just like, ‘OK, we just want to play basketball and win some games,’ He deserves [the title of best player] until you knock him [off]. He’s the Finals MVP. Until someone else takes that away, then you can claim that,” Embiid said via ESPN.
On his side, Jokic noted that Embiid is making defenses work harder, while he’s still putting 30+ points almost every night.
“He’s a really good player,” Jokic told media after the game. “He’s playing historic right now. He’s averaging 30-something points every night, and that’s extremely hard to do, especially every night.”
Embiid is averaging 34.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 53.9% shooting from the field through 28 games for the 26-13 76ers. On the other side, Nikola Jokic is also an MVP candidate registering 24.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.1 assists on 58.1% shooting from the field through 41 games for the 28–14 Nuggets.
Joel Embiid could not be eligible for MVP award this season
After winning his first MVP award last season, Joel Embiid set the stage for one of the most dominant individual seasons in the history of the NBA, at least the last 30 years. However, he could easily find himself out of the MVP race this season as the Cameroonian has missed many games due to minor issues.
Embiid was questionable before the game against the Nuggets Tuesday due to knee soreness. The same issue kept him sidelined seven out of Philadelphia’s last nine contests as the Sixers decided to take a more cautious approach especially with Embiid having a undermined history of injuries.
The Sixers are hoping to keep Embiid healthy for the playoffs but that could hurt his chances to win individual accolades like the MVP honors. The superstar had missed 10 games this season dealing with injury and if he adds to his total in the 44 games then he could be ineligible to be among the MVP candidates.
During the offseason, the league implemented a new rule that force players to be available for at least 65 games if the went to be among the potential suitors for an award, an All-Defensive or All-NBA team. That said, Embiid missed already 10 games and if he sits another seven he will be unable to be available for individual honors.
“I’ve always said I want it all,” Embiid noted, via Sports Illustrated. “If I have a chance to get a second one, I’ll do it. But I’m not going to force myself or push for it. My game is always going to speak for itself. We’re winning; that’s the main thing.”
