On the Kia MVP Ladder, Joel Embiid's case gets stronger, but he stays at No. 2
Nikola Jokic is still in first place, but Joel Embiid is right behind him in our weekly look at Kia MVP candidates.
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| Joel Embiid's Kia MVP Ladder case strengthens |
Reacting to Joel Embiid's 47-point game against Nikola Jokic seemed like a good idea at the time, but a deeper look shows that this week's Kia Race to the MVP Ladder didn't see much change.
Don't take anything away from Embiid, who was the Player of the Month for the Eastern Conference in January.
But the great Kevin Durant said that coach Doc Rivers was "the real MVP" on Saturday for making a change that caused chaos in the second half of Philadelphia's 126-119 win over the Denver Nuggets.
The coach said, "Listen, Joel was great." "His score was 47. We can't win the game, though, if P.J. Tucker is not a player."
Facts, no doubt. But it's important to note that Embiid still had the kind of statement game on Saturday that he'll need to keep up if he wants to knock Jokic off the top of the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder. Jokic was the Western Conference Player of the Month for January.
In the win over the Nuggets, Embiid became just the 10th player in NBA history to score 47 points, grab 18 rebounds, and give out five assists. He did this by scoring 28 points in the second half, including 12 in the fourth quarter, for his ninth 40-point game of the season and 35th of his career.
Rivers helped the cause by using Tucker as a threat to the reigning back-to-back MVP on the ball in the second half.
"It was amazing how he played in the second half," Rivers said.
It was also important because Jokic scored 16 points in the first two quarters on 6-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, and gave out five assists against Embiid, who scored 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half. At halftime, Denver was ahead of Philadelphia 73-58 and had shot 66%.
Rivers made the move that would change the course of the game at the start of the second half.
Rivers said of Jokic, "We just felt like we weren't up on him at halftime." "He caught it right where he wanted to. He caught everything on his elbows and low in the first half."
Over the next two quarters, however, Jokic and the Nuggets lost for the second time in their last four games. Tucker confused Jokic with his constant on-ball intensity, which helped the 76ers reach two of their goals. By putting Tucker on Jokic, Rivers gave Embiid the freedom to patrol the paint while keeping an eye on the two-time MVP and giving the rim an extra layer of protection. So, Philadelphia was able to pack the paint and stop Jokic from helping by finding teammates who were cutting to the basket.
In the second half, Denver turned the ball over eight times, with six of them coming from Jokic. This gave Philadelphia 15 points, and the Nuggets lost a 15-point lead after a 12-0 run by the Sixers that ended with three free throws by Embiid.
The Nuggets coach, Michael Malone, said, "We turned it over, and they just put more pressure on us." "Their attack mentality made it way too easy for them to get to the basket."
Embiid led this attack, making 5 of 8 shots and scoring 12 points in the final period, which was the deciding one. The last two years, the runner-up for Kia MVP hit a 28-foot step-back 3-pointer with 30.01 seconds left to give Philadelphia an 8-point lead and end a 28-point second half against Jokic, who looked clearly overwhelmed. The Sixers held Denver to 46 points in the last two quarters.
Even though Embiid was quiet in interviews after the game, he lived up to his reputation as one of the best big men of this generation. But two nights later, Philadelphia lost at home to the Orlando Magic 119-109, ending a seven-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Denver won its next two games to keep its 36-16 record and lead in the Western Conference.
Jokic stays at No. 1 on this week's Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, even though Embiid is right behind him. Embiid stays at No. 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo moves back up to third on the list after scoring 54 points in a 106-105 win over the LA Clippers on Thursday. He is followed by Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic, who left the Dallas Mavericks' win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the third quarter with a bruised right heel after scoring 31 points in 27 minutes.
Now, here are the top five players in the 2022–23 Kia Race to the MVP Ladder:
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Last week's ranking: No. 1
Stats for the season: 25.0 ppg, 11.1 rpg, and 10.1 apg
The triple-double machine is now averaging a triple-double this season. He had 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 16 assists in a 134-117 win against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, which was the league's 17th triple-double. Jokic had his eighth triple-double in the last 10 games he played and his 14th in the last 23 games he played. He is now one of only seven NBA players in history to have back-to-back games with 20 or more points, 10 or more rebounds, and 15 or more assists. Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and James Harden are some of the other players who have done this. "Everyone is a threat when he has the ball," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Your entire defense has to be engaged."
2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Last week's ranking: No. 2
Stats for the season: 33.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg, and 4.2 apg
Embiid won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for the second month in a row in January. He led the 76ers to an 11-3 record and averaged a league-high 34.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.6 blocks per game in 10 games. After the Sixers lost to the Magic on Monday, Embiid had his 24th double-double of the season in a 105-94 win over the Magic on Wednesday. This made Philadelphia's home record 20-8, which is better than Orlando's record of 18-16. The big man was also named a reserve for the All-Star game in 2023, even though everyone knows he should have been a starter.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Last week's ranking: No. 4
Stats for the season: 32.3 ppg, 12.3 rpg, and 5.1 apg
Maybe Antetokounmpo should be higher on this list since he's scored at least 50 points in three of his last 11 games. On Thursday, he scored 20 of his game-high 54 points in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-105 in a comeback win. The Bucks overcame a 21-point deficit to win their sixth game in a row. Antetokounmpo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are now the only players in franchise history to have at least three 50-point games in one season. "Man, I never thought I'd score 50 in the NBA when I got drafted," Antetokounmpo said. In his last five games, he has averaged 42.4 ppg and 15.2 rpg.
4. Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum
Last week's ranking: No. 3
Stats for the season: 31.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and 4.4 apg
In Wednesday's win over the Brooklyn Nets, Tatum and Jaylen Brown became the first teammates in franchise history to each make seven 3-pointers in the same game. "You could tell right away that we were ready to go," Tatum said. What do? The 43-point win was Boston's biggest since beating the Philadelphia 76ers by 48 points in February of last year. At halftime, the Celtics were ahead 79-45. Tatum has scored 30 points or more in 30 of his 49 games. Against the Nets, he made 12 of 19 shots from the field and grabbed nine boards while sitting for most of the fourth quarter.
5. The Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic
Last week's ranking: No. 5
Season stats: 33 points per game, 8.9 rebounds per game, and 8.2 assists per game.
During Thursday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Doncic hurt his right heel when he fell after Brandon Ingram blocked his attempt at a dunk. Doncic left the game in the third quarter, and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, "We'll see how he feels tomorrow." Keep in mind that Dallas is 0-6 this season without Doncic, and the team starts a five-game road trip Saturday at Golden State. Doncic scored 31 points in 23 minutes on Thursday, but had to leave the court because he hurt himself. The 23-year-old also hurt his ankle less than four minutes into last week's game in Phoenix, but he came back for Monday's win over the Detroit Pistons.
What's next 5 Kia MVP Ladder?
- Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (Last week's ranking: No. 6)
- James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers (Last week's ranking: No. 8)
- Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings (No. 9 last week)
- Last week, Julius Randle of the New York Knicks was ranked 10th.
- Last week, No. 7 was Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets, and Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz are the other five.