National Basketball Association

Did Joel Embiid seal the MVP with 52-point performance against the Celtics?

Updated Apr. 5, 2023 3:06 p.m. ET

Joel Embiid strengthened his MVP bid with 52 points and 13 rebounds, and the NBA scoring leader carried the Philadelphia 76ers to a 103-101 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

Embiid was practically unstoppable from the field, making 20 of 25 shots from the floor and 12 of 13 free throws en route to his ninth game of the season with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds. It's also the third time Embiid scored 50 points in a game this season, marking the most 50-point games by a center in a season since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had five 50-point games in the 1971-72 season.

76ers coach Doc Rivers proclaimed that "the MVP race is over" following his star center's monster performance. FOX Sports' Shannon Sharpe agreed.

"I'm going to give Joel Embiid credit. That was an MVP performance," Sharpe said on Wednesday's "Undisputed." "That's what you do, you say: ‘OK MVP voters, if you had any doubt, I just removed it.’"

Skip Bayless agreed, calling Embiid's 52-point outing "extraordinary" as it came against the league's fourth-best defense.

"Joel Embiid was extraordinary last night because it didn't matter who was guarding him or how they were trying to guard him because he did so much of his damage from some distance. I've told you all year about Joel Embiid. I've told you since January that he's the MVP. I think he cemented his case last night. I think he closed the deal."

Joel Embiid finishes with 52 points in 76ers 103-101 win vs. Celtics

Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless discuss whether Embiid sealed the MVP and what the 76ers' win on Tuesday means.

The 76ers' win didn't come without trouble though. The Celtics, who were without Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams, hung in Tuesday's game until the final seconds. P.J. Tucker made three late 3-pointers that turned a one-point deficit into a 101-95 lead with 53 seconds left.

Embiid made a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining to put the 76ers up 103-96, but Marcus Smart made a layup while getting fouled with five seconds left. Smart intentionally missed the free throw, getting the offensive rebound that led to a Derrick White 3-pointer to make it a 103-101 game with two seconds left.

Boston had a chance to tie or win the game because Embiid committed an offensive foul before the inbounds pass on the ensuing Philadelphia possession. But Jayson Tatum, who scored 19 points on 7 of 20 shooting on Tuesday, missed the game-tying shot at the buzzer, giving the 76ers their first win over the Celtics this season and avoiding the series sweep.

To add to Embiid's MVP case, he didn't get much help offensively from his teammates. The rest of the 76ers' roster shot 19-for-53 from the field (35.8%), with James Harden scoring 20 points on 7 of 17 shooting and Tyrese Maxey scoring just five points on 2 of 8 shooting.

That's why Sharpe graded the 76ers' win as a "two" on the impressive scale, as the two teams appear likely for a second-round showdown in the playoffs.

"You won. You avoided getting swept. The Celtics won the series 3-1," Sharpe said. "It took 52 points in a sensational 52-13 game and you only won by two without two starters in the lineup. You feel good about that? You don't. You know deep down, inside, you're not winning four of those games. I do not believe the Sixers can beat the Celtics in a seven-game series without home court."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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