Could Joel Embiid Sustain the Momentum of his Commanding Lead in the First NBA MVP Straw Poll of the Season?
The majority of voters in ESPN’s first straw poll of the 2023-24 NBA season agree that Joel Embiid has again played like an MVP.
In ESPN’s Tim Bontemps’ informal poll, which surveys 100 media members from across the league, Embiid received 63 first-place votes and 27 second-place votes.
Overall, Embiid finished with 848 total points. Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic got 21 first-place votes and was second with 630 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (352 points), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (340) and Luka Doncic (306) rounded out the top five.
Though all those players are extraordinary, it’s hard to imagine a strong, substantive early-season case against Embiid repeating as MVP. He’s had dominant performances lately against teams well below .500 like the Hornets and Pistons, but he’s also sat the entire fourth quarter of many Sixers blowouts. All told, Embiid has posted 35.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per contest.
Through his first 24 games, Embiid has played 819 minutes and scored 843 points. The Sixers, who sit third in the Eastern Conference standings, have gone 19-5 with Embiid and 0-3 without him.
At 19-10, Jokic’s Nuggets are third in the West. He’s averaged 26.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.3 assists.
As always, this season’s Embiid vs. Jokic meetings should be worth watching. The Sixers and Nuggets’ two matchups are both next month — Jan. 16 in Philadelphia and Jan. 27 in Denver.
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JOEL EMBIID DROPS SEASON-HIGH 51 POINTS FOR PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, NIKOLA JOKIC LEADS DENVER NUGGETS TO WIN
Joel Embiid’s 51-point game helped the Philadelphia 76ers to a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, while Nikola Jokic guided the Denver Nuggets to beat the Toronto Raptors.
Embiid’s 51 is his highest score so far this season and he also contributed 12 rebounds along the way to his team’s 127-113 victory.
The 76ers also had Tyrese Maxey to thank for the win as he notched 35 points, with his team winning their seventh match in eight games, with their last loss a defeat to the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
“I felt like I was playing within the offense and not forcing anything,” Embiid said after the game.
“I took what was being given to me. And I’ve been trying to figure out when to be aggressive and when to let my team-mates do their thing.”
“We’re winning and that’s all that matters,” Embiid continued. “Stats are great and it’s great to put up stats. But if it comes with a loss, then that’s a different story. If it comes with a win, it means a lot.”
Minnesota’s best performances were from Anthony Edwards (27 points), Karl-Anthony Towns (23) and Jaden McDaniels (21) and they arrived to the tip-off in good form, having won nine of their last 10 games.
“We didn’t play a clean or pretty game,” admitted Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. “I thought we would find a run or a rhythm. Thirty-seven points (for Philadelphia) in the fourth quarter is way too much — we needed it to be under 30 for sure.”
Jokic managed to complete 15 rebounds and contribute 31 points, with Jamal Murray scoring 20, as reigning champions Denver beat Toronto 113-104 in Canada.
There were double-digit tallies from Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Peyton Watson to help the team to their fifth win in six matches.
“It wasn’t the prettiest of second halves but we’re .500 on the road now,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said afterwards, as they moved to an 8-8 record..
“Our offense has been a lot more efficient (in road games),” Malone continued. “We’re getting back to playing our style of basketball.”
“If you’re going to play on our team, you’d better be expecting the basketball because if you’re open, the ball will definitely find you. Some of our young guys find that out the hard way.”
In Chicago, DeMar DeRozan posted 27 points in a 124-108 win for the Bulls over the LA Lakers, despite a double-double from LeBron James, who finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Elsewhere, the Miami Heat beat the Orlando Magic 115-106, the Indiana Pacers triumped 144-113 over the Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers were 124-116 winners against the Utah Jazz.
There were also wins for the New York Knicks against the Brooklyn Nets, the Atlanta Hawaks over the Houston Rockets, the LA Clippers against the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics over the Sacramento Kings.
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