As the buzzer sounded within the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday night, the home fans could reflect with utter astonishment on an incredible game.
Not only had the so-far mediocre Philadelphia 76ers comfortably beaten high flying Utah Jazz (98-105), but the 19,000 or so fans in attendance also witnessed absolute greatness. With an individual performance that has never been seen in the NBA before. Never.
Joel Embiid finished the game, and his 37 minutes on court with 59 (fifty nine) points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocks. Never in NBA history has a player ever pulled in stats anywhere near as good as this. In fact no player prior to Sunday night had even finished a game with 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Embiid was miles ahead of those markers.
So how has this impacted Embiid's odds with Australian sportsbook PlayUp, to win this seasons NBA MVP award?
Preseason MVP Top 10 Odds - Movements
| Player | Preseason | Oct 31st | Nov 13th | Nov 15th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doncic | 5.00 | 4.25 | 3.20 | 3.20 |
| Giannis | 7.00 | 4.20 | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Embiid | 7.00 | 15.00 | 21.00 | 13.00 |
| Durant | 9.50 | 15.00 | 21.00 | 21.00 |
| Jokic | 9.50 | 13.00 | 21.00 | 21.00 |
| Tatum | 12.00 | 7.50 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
| Morant | 13.00 | 11.00 | 12.00 | 12.00 |
| Curry | 14.00 | 11.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| Leonard | 23.00 | 67.00 | 126.00 | 126.00 |
| LeBron | 23.00 | 51.00 | 51.00 | 51.00 |
So as you can see, largely due to the 76ers distinctly average start, and Embiid's tendency to turnover possession, a lot, his odds moved pretty far out from 7.00 to 21.00, but have snapped back to 13.00. If Philadelphia can pick up a few more wins, expect Joel's MVP Odds to get back into single digits pretty fast.
Let's dive into this astonishing performance of 'firsts' a bit more:
Embiid is the first player to hit 55 points, and 5 blocks since the game started tracking 5-block games back in 1973.
He is also the first player since the great Wilt Chamberlain to chalk up as many points, rebound and assists - way back in January 1968. And Wilt didn't make 7 blocks.
Perhaps not surprisingly Embiid becomes the first African born NBA player to hit 59 points in a game.
The final deep dive, shows that Joel Embiid, in this single game has delivered better stats than former team mate Ben Simmons has in the whole season to date. Simmons, for the record has 47 points and 5 blocks...in 9 games.
This performance isn't a one-off, just 24 hours earlier Embiid turned in 42 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists vs the Hawks. This makes Embiid the 3rd player since 1988 to score 100 or more points in combined back to back games.
A truly phenomenal performance by a very special player. Worth a small bet for MVP...if the 76ers can get their show on the road.
Follow DJ Arthurs on Twitter at @DJArthursJourno
