Joel Embiid continued his MVP push on Saturday night with another dominant performance in the Philadelphia 76ers' 141-121 win over the Indiana Pacers. Despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter because the game was out of hand, Embiid finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists on shooting 10 of 15 from the field.
His big night helped the Sixers win their eighth consecutive game, which equals their longest winning streak of the season. In addition he set the franchise record for consecutive 30-point games with nine, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson. And yet, neither of those were the most impressive statistic of the night.
With this outing, Embiid recorded his seventh consecutive game with at least 30 points on 55% shooting from the field. Since the shot clock was introduced to the game in 1954, the only other player to have such a streak is LeBron James in 2013, per ESPN Stats and Info. James' streak ended at seven games, and Embiid will have a chance to surpass him on Monday when the Sixers face the Chicago Bulls.
Embiid put his full arsenal of skills on display against the Pacers, who tried everything possible to slow him down, but to no avail. In addition to scoring a few times at the rim and hitting a 3-pointer, Embiid was cooking in the mid-range like a wing. The turnaround jumpers and dribble drives he pulled off simply shouldn't be possible for a man of his size.
Joel Embiid is the first player in Sixers history to drop 30+ points in 9 straight games.
— NBA (@NBA) March 19, 2023
Tonight: 31 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST 🔥
Sixers have won 8 straight. pic.twitter.com/B5aXEKQcUO
During this historic seven-game scoring streak, Embiid is averaging 37 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and three blocks per game, while shooting 64.9% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point land. He's been completely unstoppable, and turned the MVP race into a dead heat between himself and Nikola Jokic. In fact, given the Sixers' hot streak and the Nuggets' slump, Embiid may even have nudged ahead.
