Monstrous game for Embiid vs Boston, Jokic struggled in Houston as MVP race heats up

By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net

The MVP race is heating up as Joel Embiid is pushing the pedal. The Cameronian center had a game to remember against Boston Celtics and scored 52 points in a 103-101 Philadelphia win.

Embiid grabbed 13 rebounds and dished six assists, shooting 20-24 for two and 12-13 from the free throw line.

He became the first player with does numbers since Michael Jordan in 1992, and only a third center with five or more 50-point games in a season.

“The MVP race is over. The man just scored half our points in an NBA game. And I’m biased, but the MVP race is over,” Philadelphia’s head coach Doc Rivers said after the game.

While Joel dominated against Boston, the other MVP favorite struggled against the last-palaced time in the West, Houston Rockets.

The Denver Nuggets had a chance to clinch the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference for the first time in history, and they lost 124-103, with Nikola Jokic making eight out of the team’s 20 turnovers.

The Serbian center, and a two-time NBA MVP, were unrecognizable from the rest of his team. Jokic finished the match with 14 points, ten rebounds, and four assists. Probably his and Denver’s worst game of the season.

“If that’s how we’re going to play, we’ll be out in the first round. When we don’t do our jobs, there’s accountability. And I speak the truth. I just called our team ‘soft,’ and I dared someone to challenge me. No one did, because we, as a group, were soft tonight. I’m not saying we are soft, but tonight, we were,” Denver’s head coach Mike Malone said after the game.

Alperen Sengun had a great game against two-time MVP, scoring 20 points with ten rebounds and seven assists.

While Embiid had a statement performance against Boston, Milwaukee as a team had a statement 140-128 win over Washington Wizards, showing the power of a championship contender again.

As always, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way, this time with a triple-double of 28 points, 11 rebounds, and ten assists. He was one of the six players in Milwaukee to finish with 12 or more points.

European players shined all over

Planty European players also had a notable night, with OG Anunoby scoring 17 points in a 120-100 Toronto Raptors win over Charlotte Hornets, while Jakob Poeltl was a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points.

For the losing side, Svi Mykhailiuk scored 17 points with seven assists, while Theo Maledon recorded a double-double of 13 and 11 assists.

Donovan Mithcell’s 43 points were too much for Orlando, as the Magic lost at home to Cleveland Cavaliers 113-117.

Rookie of the year candidate Paolo Banchero finished the match with 20 points and ten rebounds for the losing side, while Franz Wagner grabbed 17 points. Goga Bitadza also had a role with 10 points and six rebounds.

Bogdan Bogdanovic erupted against Chicago Bulls to help Atlanta Hawks win 123-105 without Trae Young.

Serbian guard scored 26 points, shooting 5-10 from beyond the arc and adding 26 points, with five assists and four rebounds – all that in a crucial game for the Hawks in the fight for play-in seeding.

Clint Capela gave him a hand with another double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds, while Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the losing side.

Another European center also had a double-double night, as Rudy Gobert posted 12 and 12 in a Minnesota Timberwolves 107-102 win over Brooklyn Nets.

Memphis Grizzlies kept their chances for the first seed in the West with a 119-109 win over Portland Trail Blazers, as Santi Aldama scored eight points but also grabbed 11 boards.

In a Lithuanian duel, New Orleans’ Jonas Valanciunas scored 13 points with eight rebounds but lost 103-121 to Sacramento Kings, with Domantas Sabonis notching another triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Los Angeles Lakers grabbed an important 135-133 overtime win over Utah Jazz, as Dennis Schroder helpt the triumphant side with 18 points, four assists, and three rebounds.

Young Croatian Luka Samanic had 12 points for the Jazz, while Simone Fontecchio added six.

Sandro Mamukelashvili continued with solid performances for San Antonio Spurs, as he scored 13 points with eight rebounds in a 115-94 loss to Phoenix Suns, who played in full power, with Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton taking the floor.

NBA results:

Charlotte Hornets – Toronto Raptors 100-120 (Mykhailiuk 17p, Maledon 13p, 11as – Anunoby 17p, Poeltl 10p, 9r)
Detroit Pistons – Miami Heat 105-118 (Hayes 7p, 8as)
Orlando Magic – Cleveland Cavaliers 113-117 (Banchero 20p, 10r, F. Wagner 17p, 6r, Bitadze 10p, 6r – Rubio 3p, Osman 2p)
Washington Wizards – Milwaukee Bucks 128-140 (Antetokounmpo 28p, 11r, 10as, Dragic 2p)
Brooklyn Nets – Minnesota Timberwolves 102-107 (Gobert 12p, 12r)
Chicago Bulls – Atlanta Hawks 105-123 (Vucevic 19p, 10r – Bogdanovic 26p, Capela 13p, 14r, Krejci 2p)
Houston Rockets – Denver Nuggets 124-103 (Sengun 20p, 10r, 7as, Garuba 3p, 8r – Jokic 14p, 10as)
Memphis Grizzlies – Portland Trail Blazers 119-109 (Aldama 8p, 11r)
New Orleans Pelicans – Sacramento Kings 103-121 (Valanciunas 13p, 8r – Sabonis 16p, 12r, 11as, Len 4p, 4r)
Philadelphia 76ers – Boston Celtics 103-101 (Embiid 52p, 13r)
Utah Jazz – LA Lakers 133-135 OT (Samanic 12p, Fontecchio 6p – Schorder 18p)
Golden State Warriors – Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 (Saric 5p, 4r, Dieng 3p)
Phoenix Suns – San Antonio Spurs 115-94 (Mamukelashvili 13p, 8r)

2022-23 STANDINGS

EAST

WEST

y-clinched a Playoffs berth
p-clinched a Play-in berth
e-eliminated from Playoffs

-Top six teams of each conference advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams seeded 7th to 10th will compete in Play-In tournament