As Jokic struggles and Embiid shines, 76ers coach declares MVP race “over”

Last night might have done the trick.

And not in a good way.

After Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets were blasted by head coach Michael Malone as “soft” following an embarrassing loss to the Rockets, Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers took a different approach.

He declared Joel Embiid the NBA’s MVP after a game in which Embiid put up 52 points in a 103-101 76ers victory over the Celtics.

“We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel Embiid,” Rivers said. “The MVP race is over.”

It wasn’t a good evening for Jokic down in Houston as he returned from a three-game absence. The Joker looked rusty, committing eight turnovers while finishing with just 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Those are all well off his season averages. The Nuggets fell apart in the second half, taking a 124-103 drubbing from one of the league’s worst teams.

And unfortunately the oddsmakers agree, as Embiid is once again an overwhelming favorite to capture his first MVP. On Wednesday morning he checked in at -1000 to win the award, meaning you’d have to wager $1,000 just to get back $100. Jokic’s odds were +1200, meaning a $100 bet would net $1,200. Giannis Antetokounmpo is also +1200.

It’s frankly a near-impossible gap for Jokic to make up with just three games to play. Almost nothing is going to change the odds or change the minds of voters.

That’s okay, as Jokic has won the award twice and said multiple times it doesn’t matter to him. The bigger concern is Denver getting back on track before the playoffs. Right now they’re a team that has looked extremely mediocre for the last month.

While Rivers is pumping up his guy, Malone’s worried his squad might lose in the first-round. These are two groups going in opposite directions.

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