The Philadelphia 76ers went head-to-head against a Trae Young-less Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks superstar was added to the injury report ahead of tonight’s game due to an illness, and he did not travel with the team to Philly. The reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, demolished the Hawks in Trae’s absence and took over the game in the first half. The 7-footer nearly registered a double-double in the first period.
At one point, the game became so one-sided that fans noticed an adorable moment between Embiid and his son Arthur to keep themselves engaged.
Joel Embiid shares a wholesome moment with his son
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Joel Embiid continued his dominant form against the Atlanta Hawks in tonight’s game. He dominated the first half with 17 points and 9 rebounds, giving his team an early first-quarter lead. Embiid’s 3-year-old son Arthur was also present in the arena to witness his father demolish the Atlanta Hawks in the first half. The father-son duo shared a wholesome moment during the game. The reigning MVP waved at Arthur, who was sitting courtside, and the 3-year-old gave a huge smile and waved back in response. Fans were excited to see the father-son moment in an otherwise one-sided first quarter.
Joel Embiid just gave a wave to his son Arthur, who is sitting courtside tonight, and young Arthur gave his dad a big smile and wave back.
That's about as exciting as the start to this game has gotten
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) December 9, 2023
Philadelphia outscored the Hawks 35-23 in the first quarter, and it looked like they would cruise to victory. But Atlanta made a huge comeback in the second quarter and took a 5-point lead to end the half. They outscored Joel Embiid and Co. 45-27 in the second quarter.
Bogdan Bogdanovic carried the scoring responsibility for the Hawks, with Trae Young missing from the line-up. Bogdanovic finished the first half with 17 points and 5 rebounds. The game, which was once looking one-sided in Joel Embiid’s favor, turned into a heated encounter with Atlanta’s 2nd quarter comeback.
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Can Joel Embiid win back-to-back MVPs?
Joel Embiid won his first regular season MVP trophy last season with an outstanding performance. He has carried the momentum from his MVP season to this year and is having another amazing season with the 76ers. Embiid is averaging 33.1 points and 11.4 rebounds, leading the league in scoring. He had a monster 50-point game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, reasserting his dominance in the league.
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It looks like Embiid is on a mission to win his second consecutive MVP trophy this season. That will put him on par with his counterparts Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who have both won back-to-back MVPs before Embiid. Do you think Joel Embiid can continue his impressive form and take home another MVP trophy?
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