To say that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is on a hot streak would be like saying that Rudolph's nose is a touch red and slightly illuminated. No, Rudolph's schnoz shiny and bright red, and Joel Embiid is on an historic run that has vaulted him past Nikola Jokic for the best MVP odds in the league and into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar territory.
In the Sixers win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, Joel Embiid finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks. It's the 13th straight game that Embiid has reached the 30-10 mark, which is the longest run of 30-10 games since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it 16 consecutive games in 1972, per ESPN News Services. The NBA's all-time record for consecutive 30-10 games is one that will likely never be topped — Wilt Chamberlain went 65 straight games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the 1961-62 NBA season. Wilt's numbers from the early 1960's are like if someone plays NBA 2K on rookie difficulty.
What's crazy is that a 31-point, 10-rebound performance actually represents a down game for Embiid in this now month-long stretch. In these thirteen games, Embiid is averaging nearly 38 points with 57-40-90 shooting splits, plus 12 rebounds, 6 assists and nearly 4 combined blocks and steals per game. In other words, Joel Embiid is breaking the game of basketball as we know it. Factor in his inspired defense — Embiid currently has the fourth-best odds to win Defensive Player of the Year — and we're looking at the pretty clear-cut favorite to win MVP for the second consecutive season.
Most important if you're a Sixers fans, Philadelphia is 11-2 in these thirteen games. They've forced their way into Embiid will look to extend his run on Christmas day when the Philadelphia 76ers head down to South Florida to take on the Miami Heat.
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