Sixers fans must have been really good this past year.
Santa Claus delivered one heck of a Christmas gift that happens to go by the name "The Process."
Since Christmas, Joel Embiid leads the NBA in scoring, averaging a whopping 34.7 points per game while pulling down just under 11 rebounds per contest.
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No surprise those incredible numbers have led the Sixers to a 12-3 record during that span, pulling them within striking distance to climb atop the Eastern Conference.
The league is on notice. So are the experts. Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal even said recently, “The baddest guy in the league right now is Joel Embiid.” Pretty strong words from a bad man himself back in the day.
All that world domination by the Sixers center has now placed him as the betting favorite to win the NBA’s MVP award. PointsBet, NBC Sports' official betting partner, has now listed Embiid at +250 ($10 bet to win $25) to take home the league’s top honor.
It’s a four-horse race with the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo hot on Embiid’s tail at +300, followed by Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic at +350 and Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry with odds of +400. Those three have all been crowned MVP in the past; Antetokounmpo and Curry have won it twice.
NBA
From a betting perspective, it truly is remarkable how Embiid has risen to the top. On opening night, Embiid held odds of +800. Then, the first part of the season was filled with challenges as Embiid battled COVID-19, forcing him to miss most of November.
Embiid’s odds skyrocketed to +5000 ($10 bet to win $500) on Dec. 27 until around New Year’s Day. PointsBet did not receive any wagers at that price. However, some bettors did jump on Embiid at +4500 ($10 bet to win $450) on Jan. 4.
So with three months to go in the season, Embiid is in prime position to win his first MVP. That would be just fine for Sixers fans as the big fella would be the gift that keeps on giving throughout the rest of the season.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.