Joel Embiid 52-point performance against Celtics. Apr 4, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) shoots a technical foul shot against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid came into Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics very clearly in discussion to be named the 2022-23 NBA MVP. He helped his case in a huge way against Boston, leading to a lot of fans calling the MVP race.

Embiid dominated all night, finishing the game with 52 points to go along with 13 rebounds and six assists in a 103-101 victory. Even more impressively, he shot 20 of 25 from the field and 12 of 13 from the free-throw line.

The winner of the MVP award often has a standout moment that fans look back at years afterward. Embiid’s emphatic dunk to get to 50 points in the game could certainly be that for him, with a terrific call from TNT’s Ian Eagle on the slam.

“Embiid… Cranks it down! Joel Embiid has got a fifty burger!” said Eagle.

Many took to social media after the game to sing his praises and declare him the MVP award winner.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers offered his take on the MVP race after the game, saying that the “race is over”.

“The MVP race is over,” said Rivers on Joel Embiid. “We couldn’t make shots tonight. The man just scored half our points in an NBA game. I am biased, but the MVP race is over.”

Another factor that heavily leans toward Embiid winning MVP is an abnormally poor performance from fellow contender for the award Nikola Jokić, on Tuesday. Jokić finished Tuesday’s game against the Houston Rockets with just 14 points and eight turnovers in a blowout loss.

With just three games remaining in the regular season for the 76ers, Embiid may have put the final impression needed to take home the highly coveted award.

[Awful Announcing on Twitter]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.