MVP candidates Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks dueled it out on Thursday night ahead of the all-star break.
Ultimately, Embiid won out as the 76ers narrowly beat the Bucks 123-120.
Embiid had 42 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and six turnovers on 14-21 shooting from the field, 3-4 shooting from three, and 11-14 shooting from the line.
Antetoukounmpo had 32 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and three turnovers on 13-23 shooting from the field, 2-4 shooting from three, and 4-5 shooting from the line.
The 76ers shot better from the field (+5.8%), from three (+3.5%), and from the line (+6.6%).
Antetokounmpo and Embiid have nearly identical season averages – although the former leads the latter in Player Efficiency Rating and Win Shares, via Basketball Reference.
It will be curious to see if 2x NBA MVP Antetokounmpo – and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets – will fall victim to voter fatigue.