According to coach Doc Rivers, the MVP race is over after Joel Embiid carried the 76ers to victory during their game against the Boston Celtics.
Embiid helped the 76ers win over the Celtics 103-101 via ESPN;
Joel Embiid earned the highest stamp of approval from coach Doc Rivers after the All-Star center blistered Boston for his third 50-point game of the season and carried the 76ers on his beat-up, 7-foot frame to victory.
“The MVP race is over,” Rivers said.
There’s an argument to be made for Denver’s Nikola Jokic or Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. Embiid, though, certainly won’t argue with his coach or Sixers teammates stumping on his behalf.
“They’re probably right,” Embiid said with a laugh. “But we have bigger goals in mind.” Embiid strengthened his bid for the award with 52 points and 13 rebounds, and the NBA scoring leader carried Philadelphia to a 103-101 win over the Celtics on Tuesday night.
Embiid made 20 of 25 shots from the floor and 12 of 13 free throws en route to his ninth game of the season with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds. Embiid joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only NBA centers with three 50-point games in a season. Embiid had a career-high 59 points against the Utah Jazz in November and 53 against Charlotte in December. Considering the magnitude of this game — the 76ers hadn’t beat their East rivals all season — this effort was the most impressive one yet.
“If they end up the No. 2 seed, we might see them in the second round, if we make it there,” Embiid said. In a game with a playoff vibe, this one came down to the end, as Jayson Tatum’s tying jumper fell short at the horn.
P.J. Tucker gave Embiid and the Sixers the help they needed when he made three late 3-pointers that turned a one-point deficit into a 101-95 lead. Derrick White buried a 3 with 2 seconds left that pulled Boston to 103-101 and hushed a crowd that had just bellowed “MVP! MVP!” chants.
Embiid was whistled for an offensive foul, the latest in a string of late-game breakdowns that almost gave away the game.
“We were trying to give them the game back. We really tried,” Rivers said.
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