Joel Embiid returned from a four-game absence due to an ankle injury to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 110-97 win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. During the game, though, Embiid was seen eating Jolly Ranchers, and NBA fans felt that was quite disrespectful.
Nah eating Jolly Ranchers while blowing out the Bulls by 30 is another level of disrespectful pic.twitter.com/UwpUvsNZ8n
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) January 3, 2024
One said it was crazy for him to eat on the court.
https://twitter.com/bestcomedianmoe/status/1742400192450556054
A fan says Embiid won’t do this in the playoffs.
He won't do it the playoffs tho.
— ELdon305 (@Joshywashy3073) January 3, 2024
One called him out for littering.
And he liter’d
— Epicgamertv (@EpicgamertvEGTV) January 3, 2024
A fan said Embiid was not taking the Bulls seriously in the slightest.
https://twitter.com/suededc/status/1742353373037518977
One said Embiid would get knocked out in the second round as always.
https://twitter.com/Ao_Enjoyer/status/1742375944617128411
I personally don’t think it was all that bad of a look, but I can understand why some would view it in a negative light. Whatever the case, the Bulls certainly did not give Embiid too much to worry about. He played just three quarters and managed to put up 31 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
The 76ers led 43-18 at the end of the first quarter and were up 73-42 at the half. With Philadelphia also comfortably leading 98-72 at the end of the third quarter, Embiid was given the rest of the night off. The Bulls reserves managed to cut into the lead in the fourth, which made the game look a lot closer than it actually was.
Joel Embiid Made History In The Game
With Embiid once again finishing with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, he made history here. The reigning MVP now joins Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to have hit that mark in 14 consecutive games.
He broke a tie with Elgin Baylor with this performance and Embiid has a shot at surpassing Kareem’s mark as well. Abdul-Jabbar’s streak stands at 16 consecutive games, which he achieved all the way back in 1971-72.
Standing in Embiid’s way of surpassing Kareem are the New York Knicks, Utah Jazz, and Atlanta Hawks, and I’d give the six-time All-Star a good chance of getting it done. The Knicks might have made it difficult for him if they had Mitchell Robinson, but he is out for the season.
While he could surpass Kareem, Embiid is not even going to come close to Chamberlain’s best mark. The legendary big man had a ridiculous streak of 65 consecutive 30-10 games in the 1961-62 season. That was the campaign where he averaged 50.4 points per game, another mark that will never be beaten.
Interestingly, Chamberlain has the second, third, and fourth-longest streaks as well, at 31, 25, and 20 respectively. It is mind-boggling just how dominant Wilt was at his peak, and he has set so many records that are simply impossible to break.
Joel Embiid Has A Great Shot At Winning Back-To-Back MVPs
Embiid is now averaging 34.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game this season while shooting 53.9% from the field. He is very much in the mix for the MVP, and, in fact, Embiid is now leading our 2023-24 NBA MVP power rankings.
The numbers are ridiculous and he has also led the 76ers to a 23-10 record, which is good enough for third in the Eastern Conference at this point. If he keeps this up, there’s a very good chance he wins the award back-to-back.
What could stop him, though, is the 65-game requirement to be eligible for awards. Embiid has missed seven games already and if he misses 18 in total this season, he won’t be eligible to win MVP.
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