Today was a big day for the MVP race, as we witnessed Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid’s teams square off against one another. The Denver Nuggets ended up defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, 114-110.
The game featured gaudy stat lines from both Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. Joel Embiid was dominant from a scoring standpoint, putting up 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, while also shooting 100% from the 3PT range. Nikola Jokic had more of an all-around night, putting up 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
A lot of fans were hyped about this matchup, so naturally many people commented on the outcome. There is no doubt that many Nuggets fans were happy with the outcome, and a lot of fans were ready to crown Nikola Jokic as the 2021-22 MVP.
Nikola Jokic vs. Joel Embiid tonight:
Jokic: 22 Points, 13 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 50% FG
Embiid: 34 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 55% FG
Nuggets Win. pic.twitter.com/UWo7xT7HIL
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 15, 2022
At the end of the day, both Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid showed why they were MVP-caliber players tonight. There’s no doubt that their approach to the game is different, but each of them is dominant in their own way.
It remains to be seen who the 2021-22 MVP will be. It will certainly be a tough choice, but there are some, like Brian Scalabrine, who suggested that Joel Embiid would be the MVP due to it being hard for someone to win the MVP award two years in a row.
Brian Scalabrine: Those two guys are probably the two most dominant players in the NBA this season… You feel them every possession… They make people around them better… Both of those guys are just unstoppable players.
Frank Isola: It feels like it’s neck and neck now doesn’t it?
Brian Scalabrine: Not for me… I’m saying what I think the people are gonna vote, the way people vote will be Embiid. Because Jokic has to be so much better than Embiid to win, because he won last year.
There is no doubt that this season’s MVP race is very heated. It will likely go down to the last game of the season, and we’ll see what the voters end up deciding. There are also other players such as DeMar DeRozan and Giannis Antetokounmpo who are in the running for the award, so there’s even more competition beyond the favorites.
Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid will have the rest of the season to convince the voters that they should be the MVP of the season. Hopefully, we see some elite basketball from the two, and this game isn’t the end all be all when it comes to the MVP race.
