The Sixers faced a formidable foe in the Mavericks who entered Friday’s matchup with a 43-26 record. But the Sixers handled business at home in a win that made them look like a legit contender again.
The debate on who this year’s NBA MVP will be continues to rage on, but one former MVP has weighed in.
After a win Friday night over Portland, Nets superstar Kevin Durant was asked who he believes is the league’s Most Valuable Player in a super-tight race.
If Durant been out from mid-January through early March with an MCL sprain, he would absolutely be in the race for the award, and probably the front-runner.
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But on Friday, Durant said he would cast his vote for Joel Embiid.
“If I had to take a guess, I would go between Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, and Ja Morant for me," Durant told reporters. “Those are my top three, and I’d probably go Joel. (Nikola) Jokic, you could throw Jokic in there, but I’d probably go Joel.”
There you have it. Durant’s comments likely won’t sit well with Jokic fans, but he said what he said. All the players Durant mentioned have an argument, but Embiid leads the league in scoring, he’s eighth in rebounds, and unlike last season, he has played in a vast majority of his team’s games.
KD doesn’t have an actual vote for MVP, but the respect level from a guy who’s won the award already in his career and finished second in the voting three other times certainly carries some weight.
NBA
Game recognizes game, and coming from a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, that’s a strong endorsement.
