#Nikola jokic stats series#
Of the 15 tightest races, the MVP "won" the head-to-head series just five times. Add it all up and MVP winners have a 22-22 head-to-head record against the player who finished with the second-most first-place votes. All MVP voting results can be found at . For the purposes of this exercise, "runner-up" refers to the player who finished with the second-most first-place votes. Here are the 15 closest races since the 1976 NBA/ABA merger along with how the winner fared head-to-head against the runner-up. I'm not here to tell you that should or will happen.īut what I can do is use history to illuminate just how important these head-to-head encounters are when it comes to settling the score on tight races.
With the race for the MVP seemingly neck and neck, it's tempting to argue that Monday's outcome could sway voters and serve as a tiebreaker of sorts. Embiid is in a tight race with LeBron James, Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant for the scoring title while Jokic is threatening to break the single-season record for Player Efficiency Rating. Nikola Jokic statsīoth Embiid and Jokic are putting up MVP-worthy numbers. Embiid owns a 4-1 head-to-head record in the personal series. Thanks to a run of ill-timed injuries or rest, Monday will mark their first meeting since Dec. Jokic in November, we've missed out on them altogether in recent years. The 76ers won that game even without Embiid, overcoming 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists from Jokic. This is the first meeting of the season between the two centers as Embiid missed the first game between the 76ers and Nuggets back in November.
#Nikola jokic stats tv#
MORE: Watch NBA games live with Sling TV (3-day free trial) Joel Embiid vs. To get a better sense of whether these head-to-head matchups actually factor in, I examined the closest 15 MVP races since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 as determined by the difference between first and second-place votes. Naturally, one might presume that head-to-head performance tips the scales when all else is equal. When Embiid and Jokic take the floor on Monday, another narrative comes into focus: head-to-head records.
Did a team vastly outperform expectations? Did a player carry a team through a series of bad injuries? Did a team finish so far out in front that the "best player on the best team" argument becomes the trump card? Narratives drive conversations which in turn steer voters down preferred paths. Tight MVP races come down to far more than simply counting stats. Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic square off on Monday in a matchup of the two leading MVP candidates. With Giannis Antetokounmpo also in the mix, the 2022 NBA MVP race is shaping up to be one of the closest calls in recent history.
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