Remember that? After the Philadelphia 76ers' back-to-back losses to the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons, there are concerns about Joel Embiid's MVP qualification this season. Embiid was dismissive of this, he was still so confident.
On April 6, the Philadelphia 76ers played the Indiana Pacers away, and Embiid once again proved to the outside world why he thought he deserved the MVP trophy of the season.
At the crucial moment of the competition for MVP, Embiid played a dominant performance this time. He played 38 minutes, and he shot 18-of-30 from the field, which was quite effective, cutting 45 points and 13 rebounds, and both points and rebounds were the highest in the team. In the end, the 76ers won 131-122 over the Indiana Pacers. The five-time All-Star led the 76ers back on track to a three-game winning streak while giving the Pacers an eight-game losing streak.
After the game, Pacers player Justin Anderson, who had played for the 76ers, interrupted a friend's postgame television interview, stole Embiid's microphone, and exclaimed, "Give him that damn MVP." ”
This season, Embiid is not only fighting for MVP but also for the top scorer. If the MVP still needs to look at the face of the voters and need to create momentum, then the title of scoring king is much more direct, just look at the numbers. Before this game, Embiid was slightly behind Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in points per game. If he wants to overtake James, he'll have to score at least 35 points in this game to become the league's top scorer.
Embiid didn't disappoint either, scoring 45 points and averaging 30.42 points per game, surpassing LeBron James (30.27) and temporarily topping the league's scoring list.
In the first quarter, he let go of his hands and feet and shot frequently. Inside, mid-range, three-pointers, Embiid took out everything in his arsenal early and scored nine points easily in a single quarter. James Harden is also willing to be a green leaf, choosing to pass the ball for his teammates. Embiid's offense was sharper in the second quarter, with no one on the inside, hitting eight of his 10 shots and scoring 18 points in a single quarter. Embiid's teammate Teres Maxi was equally hot-handed, hitting three three-pointers in a row. By the end of halftime, Embiid had already scored 27 points and seven rebounds.
After the game, 76ers coach Doug Rivers gave an interview to the media. Speaking of Embiid, he said: "They [the Pacers] worked together to wrap him up (Embiid). Then he made the right choice and passed the ball out. The first half was fantastic, it showed our scoring explosiveness (82 points in the first half). The ball is moving all the time and Embiid is also very dominant. ”
The 76ers hit 17 three-pointers at halftime to set a new team-history record, after a previous record of 14. The 76ers opened up in the second quarter, the whole team scored 49 points in a single quarter, once leading by 27 points, but the Pacers did not choose to surrender directly, and in the third quarter, they rose to catch up, and also counterattacked 40 points in the single quarter with color. With Embiid on the bench, the Pacers trailed the deficit to 111-106 with more than nine minutes left in the game. 76ers bench forward DeAndre Jordan was sent off for a malicious foul on Duane Washington Jr., forcing the 76ers to re-enter the lineup. Next, the 76ers went on a 13-3 offensive surge, with Embiid contributing four of those points. In the end, he scored 45 points in the middle of two free throws.
Embiid has blasted another 40+ after scoring 44 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking embiid's 12th single-game 40+ points this season, setting a career high. It also put him on par with Russell Westbrook in 2016-17 and Moses Malone in 1981-82, making him the player with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a single season since the league merged.
On April 3, the 76ers beat the Charlotte Hornets 144-114 at home. Embiid scored 29 points, which slipped his average of points from second to third, behind Alphabet Brother by 30.11 points per game. Rivers revealed in a post-match interview that he wanted Embiid to score 50 points, but Embiid refused.
"I want to tell him to go get a 50 points and win the top scorer, but he'll just say 'I'm just going to let everything go its way, it's the only way I can win any honor', I think that's a really cool answer, it shows his quality as a player." Rivers said.
Averaging 30.4 points per game, Embiid is the first center to score such a high score since the NBA merger. Embiid is expected to become the first center to win the scoring championship after Shaquille O'Neal.
James missed the Lakers' game against the Suns due to an ankle injury. According to the scoring rules: players must play 70% of the game of the season (58 games), and if the number of games is less than 58 (James currently has 56 games), they must also calculate the average points per game based on the total points per season/58, and James' current total season points are 1695.
A few weeks ago, Rivers said that harden and Embiid might be considered for a break as the playoffs approached, but Embiid has played 66 games this season, and even the break will not affect the final scoring average. The Lakers have three games left, and if James wants to be the top scorer, he has to score at least 40 points in the last two games. That's too hard for a 37-year-old veteran who already has an ankle injury.