There is no way you can believe Joel Embiid isn’t the MVP after tonight. Against the West-leading Utah Jazz, Joel dominated supposed Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Rudy Gobert. Embiid dropped 40 points and 19 rebounds in the 131-123 overtime win over the Jazz.

Philly struggled early on, trailing by around ten points for the majority of the game. Utah burned Philly from deep, shooting over 56% of their threes in the first half while the 76ers could not get anything going from deep. By the fourth quarter, the tide had turned, with Philly locking all windows and doors and Utah struggling to get any offense going.

Joel Embiid was able to get any shot he wanted against Gobert, shooting 52% from the field and making Gobert commit five fouls on defense. Embiid’s incredible shot from three to send them to overtime might’ve been one of the most fantastic shots in his career. Joel has five 40 and ten games to the rest of the NBA’s combined four.

For the rest of the offense, Tobias Harris was clutch in overtime, scoring the first several points to get their offense going. Tobi finished the night with 22 points and excelled in the post against Bogdanovic late, with Utah having no answer. 

After exploding for 42 points against the Jazz last time, Ben Simmons came out hot again with 17 points. What was most dominant was Simmons’ shut down defense on Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell was an unimpressive 12/34 from the field and was ejected after complaining about a non-call on Ben Simmons. 

Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle got crunch time minutes replacing Danny Green, who played just 22 minutes, shooting only one of five from three. Milton was huge late into this game and finished with 12 points. He and Dwight Howard provided a significant spark in the fourth to spring the Sixers back into this game. Superman turned back the clock a decade with a huge block and three-pointer just a few possession between each other. 

Philly now remains in first place with a record of 24-12 and now looks towards All-Star Weekend, which will include Joel, Ben, and Doc Rivers. Utah moves to 27-9 but remains in first place in the west. If this is any preview of the 2021 NBA Finals, we are in for a treat.

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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher / USA Today