Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid exploded on Monday night with 70 points and 18 rebounds in the win over the San Antonio Spurs. Embiid looks like the favorite to win the NBA MVP award, as he is averaging 36.1 PPG with 11.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists on the year. After his 70-point outburst, Embiid increased his lead to win NBA MVP in the latest odds, per FanDuel.
- Joel Embiid: +130
- Nikola Jokic: +250
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: +360
- Luka Doncic: +900
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: +1200
Embiid is the NBA leader in scoring and is in the top 5 in rebounds. On top of that, the 76ers are third in the Eastern Conference with a 29-13 record and just half a game back of the Milwaukee Bucks, who shockingly fired head coach Adrian Griffin on Tuesday.
Jokic is second on the list with 26.1 PPG, 11.9 rebounds and 9.1 assists as he is nearly averaging a triple-double. At this point, it appears to be a two-man race between Jokic and Embiid, and Embiid's unreal 70-point outing has sent him a bit higher than before.
Embiid finished with 70 points on 24-41 from the field with 18 rebounds and five assists. He shot 21-23 from the free throw line and even chipped in a three-pointer in the matchup against Victor Wemnabyama's team.
The 76ers and Denver Nuggets face off again on January 27 in a battle of the two NBA MVP frontrunners. The last time they played each other, Embiid won the showdown with 41 points and 10 assists as the 76ers got the victory.
There is still a lot of basketball left to be played, but at this rate, Joel Embiid looks like the easy favorite to take home the honor.