By Michael Stensland | April 10, 2023
The Kia MVP race is coming down to the wire with Joel Embiid currently at the top of the standings. Embiid inched ahead of Nikola Jokic this week primarily from his towering 52 points on 20-25 shooting with 13 boards. That performance got him and 76ers the win over the second seed in the east, the Boston Celtics. Joel Embiid has had monster stats all year, averaging a league leading 33.1 points per game and then on top of that, 10.8 rebounds a game giving the MVP front runner a double-double average on the season.
To count out previous MVPs Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a poor move. Both Giannis and Jokic are averaging almost 12 rebounds a game and lead the top two teams in the East and West conferences, respectively. Giannis also averages 31.1 points per game while Jokic averages about 10 assists as a big man. These stats and accolades make this one of the closest MVP races in history.
The 76ers and Embiid sit at the three seed in the Eastern Conference and will take on a Brooklyn Nets team that was gutted of their stars in the middle of season yet stayed in a healthy position. Giannis and Jokic lead both of their #1 seeded teams and will take on one of the four play-in teams. The playoffs start with the play-in tournament this Tuesday the 11th with the Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks and the Timberwolves take on LeBron and the Lakers. The MVP will be announced May 11th.
Michael Stensland is a Radio, TV, Film Major at UW-Oshkosh
