By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Joel Embiid is now the number-one favorite to win this season’s MVP title in the NBA. Nikola Jokic has dropped to the second spot as stated on the official NBA MVP ladder.
Seven straight 30-point performances push the NBA’s top scorer to No. 1 in this week’s Kia Race to the MVP Ladder. Embiid performed another gem on Wednesday against Cleveland’s No. 2-rated defense with 36 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks, marking the third-straight outing the big man has racked up at least 30 points with three blocks.
The 29-year-old became the first player since Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal to accomplish that feat, and he took advantage of every opportunity in knocking down all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Embiid leads a Sixers squad that is 20-12 on the road with nine more games away from home left on the schedule.
Jokic helped the Nuggets snap a season-high four-game losing streak Thursday with a 30-point performance in the club’s 119-100 win over the Detroit Pistons. The victory clinched the Northwest Division for Denver as Jokic finished only one assist away from notching his 28th triple-double of the season.
“I told our team it’s a good win,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Clinched a playoff spot, won your division, that’s great. Let this be the start of something special. We lost four in a row, lowest of the low for us during this season.”
It’s clear, though, that the tough times aren’t keeping Jokic from harboring more lofty expectations.