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Embiid Dominates in NBA MVP Voting

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NEW YORK – Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid won the 2022-23 NBA Most Valuable Player award. Embiid, the runner-up in each of the past two years, beat out Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, who had combined to win the past four MVPs.

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The Sixers’ big man from Cameroon received 73 of 100 first-place votes from a panel of broadcasters and journalists and received 915 total points. Jokic placed second with 15 first-place votes and 674 points; Antetokounmpo received the other 12 first-place votes and had 606 total points.

Embiid, 29, is the second player from Africa to win the prestigious award, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94). He’s also the first 76ers player to take home MVP honors since Allen Iverson in 2000-01.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Embiid told TNT’s “NBA Tip-Off” in a remote video call from Boston, where the 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series but Embiid was forced to sit out on Monday with knee soreness.

“It’s been a long time coming. A lot of hard work. You know, I been through a lot, and I’m not just talking about basketball. I’m talking about everything in life, my story and where I come from and how I got here and what it took for me to be here.”

Embiid led the league in scoring for the second straight year, posting a career-high 33.1 points per game to go with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks.

He shot a career-high 54.8 percent from the field, thanks to 58.7 percent shooting from inside the arc. Embiid added 66 3-pointers and 66 steals.

An All-Star every season since 2017-18, Embiid made the All-NBA second teams in 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22.

The 76ers managed to beat the Celtics 119-115 without Embiid available in Game 1 due to his knee injury. The injury is widely reported to be a Grade 1 LCL sprain, and Sixers coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Embiid is doubtful for Game 2 Wednesday.

TNT host Ernie Johnson asked Embiid if he would take the court for Game 2.

“We shall see,” Embiid said.

Embiid had his teammates sitting behind him when he appeared on the broadcast.

“First of all, I thank all of them because I couldn’t have done it without them,” he said. “Obviously we’ve been winning a lot and the work that they put in to trust me and put me in positions to succeed has been amazing and they’ve given up a lot for me.

“We’re going to celebrate for five minutes and then we’re going back to business. We got a series to win. I’m just so proud of them, obviously, winning yesterday. That was a big one and we’ve got a few more coming. I’m just so proud of them to be able to make sure to give me some time to really allow me to heal and get back to myself. And I’ll be back, and we’ve got more work to do.”

Antetokounmpo won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020 and Jokic was going for his third consecutive MVP.

Jayson Tatum of the Celtics collected 89 fourth-place votes and one third-place vote to finish fourth in voting at 280 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder (46 points) rounded out the top five after a career year.

For the first time in his career, LeBron James did not receive a single vote for MVP.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Shy on Defense; Drop Game 1

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A better brand of defense will be on the mind of the Boston Celtics when they try to rebound from a series-opening defeat on their home court against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight after their 119-115 loss on Monday.

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The Celtics’ Al Horford admitted that team defensive intensity was lacking when they played the 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston must win Game 2 at home to avoid falling into a deep hole of being down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Although they played without MVP candidate Joel Embiid (knee), Philadelphia prevailed 119-115 in the series opener. James Harden poured in a game-high 45 points, but the 76ers also received plenty of offense from their supporting cast.

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points, Tobias Harris finished with 18 and De’Anthony Melton came off the bench to toss in 17.

In addition, Philadelphia received 10 points and 13 rebounds from Paul Reed, who started at center in Embiid’s absence.

“We didn’t do as good a job defensively as we could,” Horford said, alluding to an inability to adjust defensive strategies. “As much as you don’t want to say (Embiid’s absence) wasn’t a factor, I think it was. We have to be better. We have to understand that we have to be able to play with whatever happens, whatever variables.”

Embiid’s status for Game 2 remained unchanged as of Tuesday afternoon, according to head coach Doc Rivers. He hasn’t played in Philadelphia’s last two games after injuring his knee in Game 3 of the team’s first-round series victory against the Brooklyn Nets.

“In a lot of ways, when Embiid doesn’t play everybody else is empowered,” Boston’s Malcolm Brogdon said. “Everybody else has the green light and guys are gonna step up, and I thought that’s what happened. I think we expected that, guys to step up, but we still struggled with it. We just gotta be prepared.”

Boston had a 115-114 lead after Jayson Tatum made two free throws with 26.1 seconds left, but Harden sank a 3-pointer – his seventh of the game on 14 attempts – that put Philadelphia in front for good with 8.4 seconds to play.

Harden’s 45 points matched his career-high in a playoff game. He also scored 45 points when he played for Houston in a victory over Golden State in the 2015 Western Conference finals.

“We didn’t come into this game expecting to lose,” Harden said. “We’re here to win. Even after this one I told guys, ‘Don’t get too happy.’ We’re even-keeled. We’re coming in here to get Game 2 as well. That’s the mindset we have as a unit and whether (Embiid) comes back or not we’re going to be ready to go.”

Boston received 39 points from Tatum and 23 from Jaylen Brown in the loss, but Harden alone outscored Tatum and Brown 15-10 in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia was better down the stretch, ending the game on a 12-4 run.

The Celtics had a 66-42 advantage in points in the paint, but that wasn’t enough to overcome Harden’s 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) overall shooting performance.

“(Harden) was phenomenal for us,” Harris said. “He had a huge amount of confidence in his game and what he works on. He’s been doing it for so long and it was an amazing time to come out and just dominate.

“He dominated the whole game and carried us to the victory. It was a team effort, but he did an amazing job of having his composure all throughout the game to help us win.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Close-Out Hawks; 76ers Up Next

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It was ‘winning time” in Atlanta in Game 6 and the veteran NBA Playoff team in the Boston proved their worth in the final minutes with a dominant display of offense and defense.

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With the score tied at 113 with 3:50 remaining in the final quarter, Boston’s center Al Horford secured a defense rebound, then hit a corner three-pointer to put Boston ahead for good. With 3:00 left, Horford grabbed another rebound and forward Jayson Tatum hit from three-point land to extend the lead to six.

Tatum took over from there, as he grabbed a defensive rebound, fed Horford who missed a three-pointer but Tatum grabbed the rebound and dunked for two points all in one motion to make the score 121-113.

With 1:30 remaining, guard Marcus Smart hit a three-pointer and then scored on a driving lay-up to give Boston a 126-119 lead with a minute remaining. Smart made a pair of free throws with :15 seconds to finish the job, 128-120.

All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown led Boston with 32 points and Tatum added 30 to give the visiting Celtics an impressive win over the Hawks on Thursday, ending their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

The second-seeded Celtics will play the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs, with Game 1 on Monday in Boston.

 

Trae Young Stuns Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta guard Trae Young’s step-back three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left in regulation capped his 38-point performance as the Atlanta Hawks stayed alive in the NBA Playoffs by rallying to beat the host Boston Celtics 119-117 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Tuesday. Boston now has a 3-2 lead in the series. Game 6 will be played tonight in Atlanta.

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Young scored the final 14 points of the game for Atlanta, which was playing without the suspended Dejounte Murray who was docked a game by the NBA after he made contact with an official at the end of Game 4. Young added 13 assists and a pair of steals. Swingman John Collins contributed 22 points and reserve guard Bogdan Bogdanovic had 18 for the visiting Hawks.

Boston’s all-star forward Jaylen Brown (35 points) posted his second straight 30-plus-point game and teammate Jayson Tatum had 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on a seemingly off-night for the MVP candidate.

Former C’s Coach Udoka to Houston

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HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets and Ime Udoka have agreed to a contract to make Udoka the franchise’s next head coach, according to multiple reports . Udoka, 45, guided the Boston Celtics to an Eastern Conference title and NBA Finals appearance in 2021-22, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.

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The Celtics announced before training camp last summer that Udoka violated team policies after disclosure of an inappropriate and intimate relationship with a female staff member. Though it was initially viewed as a consensual relationship, the woman accused Udoka of making unwanted comments toward her.

The Celtics suspended the head coach for a year and promoted Joe Mazzulla to interim head coach, later making him Udoka’s permanent replacement.

Udoka’s name had been floated as a candidate for the Brooklyn Nets’ head-coaching position that became vacant during the 2022-23 season. ESPN also reported last week that Udoka was expected to be a candidate for the Toronto Raptors’ vacancy.

The Celtics went 51-31 in Udoka’s lone season as an NBA head coach. The Portland, Ore., native worked as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs (2012-19), Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Nets (2020-21) before that.

The Rockets fired coach Stephen Silas after a 22-60 campaign. They have a 14 percent probability of receiving the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft lottery, tied with the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs.

 

Can Hawks, Trea Even Series?

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Atlanta Hawks will be looking for another big game from guard Trae Young when they attempt to pull even in their Eastern Conference playoff series with the visiting Boston Celtics by winning Game 4.

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After losing the first two games of the series in Boston, the Hawks received a game-high 32 points from Young in a 130-122 victory Friday night. Young made 12 of his 22 shots from the floor and finished the game with nine assists and six rebounds.

It was Young’s best game of the series, by far, as he shot 14-for-40 from the field during Games 1 and 2 in Boston.

“I know I can play like this,” Young said. “Like I said last game, I wasn’t worried. I knew I could play the way I need to. It’s all about reading and making the right adjustments.”

Friday’s victory was the first time the Hawks have beaten the Celtics this season. In addition to winning the first two games in the series, Boston won all three regular-season matchups.

Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray scored 25 points in Game 3, and, like Young, was at his best in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics were threatening to take a 3-0 series lead. Young (15) and Murray (seven) scored 22 of Atlanta’s 30 points in the final 12 minutes.

Brogdan Continues Celtics’ Tradition; Wins 2023 NBA Sixth Man Award

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was named the 2023 KIA NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Brogdon becomes the third Celtics’ star to win the league’s annual honor, joining Kevin McHale (1984, 1985) and Bill Walton (1986).

“From day one, Malcolm has eagerly embraced his role as a game changer off the bench,” said Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His emphasis on winning has been reflected daily in his work, his play, and his selflessness. Malcolm winning the award named after John Havlicek, an all-time Celtic, could not be more appropriate.”

In the 41 years since the award’s creation in 1982, only eight other players have won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in their first season with their team.

Brogdon was the only player in the NBA ranking in the top three in scoring, rebounding, and assists among players who didn’t start in a regular-season game as he finished with 14.9 points (1st), 4.2 rebounds (3rd), and 3.7 assists (2nd).

Brogdon finished the year ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage with a career single-season high 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. He tied Ray Allen (2010-11) for the third-best single-season three-point percentage by a Celtic since 1979 behind Allen’s 2011-12 season (45.3%) and Al Horford this season (44.6%).

As an NBA reserve, Brogdon ranked first in minutes played (1743.8), second in made field goals (354), third in total points (1,000) and clutch points (42), and fourth in assists (248). Brogdon became the fourth player in Celtics history to score at least 1,000 points in a season off the bench, behind Ricky Davis in 2004-05 (1,121 points) and Kevin McHale twice, in 1989-90 (1,109) and 1990-91 (1,031).

The Georgia native earns his third NBA honor including winning the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year award and the 2019-20 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

The Sixth Man of the Year trophy honors Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek, who excelled off the bench like no player before him. Havlicek came off the bench for the first seven seasons of his career and was an All-Star in four of those seasons. His career highlights include eight NBA championships, 13 NBA All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, an NBA Finals MVP, eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections, and inclusion on the league’s 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams.

Celtics Send a Message to Hawks

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire services report) -Two days after having five stitches removed from a finger on his shooting hand, Jaylen Brown recorded game highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-99 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Saturday.

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Brown, an Atlanta native, missed Boston’s final two regular-season games after cutting himself while picking up a piece of glass in his home.

Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 11 rebounds for the second-seeded Celtics, who received a 24-point performance from Derrick White.

The seventh-seeded Hawks were 5 of 29 from 3-point range, and were outrebounded 58-45.

Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 24 points and eight rebounds. Trae Young, Atlanta’s leading scorer during the regular season, finished with 16 points.

The Hawks trimmed a 30-point halftime deficit to 12, 96-84, with 9:33 to play, but the Celtics responded with a 6-0 run to push their lead to 18. Atlanta, which trailed 94-75 after three quarters, missed 11 of its next 12 shots after slicing Boston’s lead to 12 points.

Atlanta used an 8-0 run to pull within 12 points with 3:16 to go, but never got any closer.

Game 2 will be played in Boston on Tuesday before the best-of-seven series shifts to Atlanta on Friday.

Boston led 29-19 after one quarter and extended its lead in the second. A Tatum 3-pointer capped a 20-3 run that put the Celtics up 52-27 with 6:10 remaining in the quarter, and Boston had its largest lead of the half after Tatum made a 3-pointer that gave the Celtics a 74-44 advantage with 2.2 seconds left in the second.

Boston shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, when it made nine of its 16 3-point attempts. Atlanta shot 33.3 percent from the floor and was 1 of 16 from behind the arc.

NBA: Post Trade Deadline Mode

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INDIANAPOLIS – The sputtering Indiana Pacers welcome the new-look Suns to Indianapolis tonight, as Phoenix concludes its five-game Eastern Conference road swing with a renewed outlook on the season.

The Suns suffered their first defeat of the road trip on Thursday, 116-107 to Atlanta. The loss — just the third over Phoenix’s last 12 games — took a backseat to the franchise’s roster movement ahead of the trade deadline.

Phoenix sent Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, along with future draft picks, to Brooklyn in exchange for 10-time All-NBA honoree and former Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant. Jae Crowder, whom the Suns also traded in the package, was moved to Milwaukee shortly thereafter.

“It was an emotional day,” Suns coach Monty Williams said before Thursday’s game. “(Bridges and Johnson) are near and dear to my heart. They’re literally like my family. …They understand the business side of it, but they also understand that there’s a human side, an emotional side, a connection that is greater than the business side.”

The shakeup left Phoenix short-handed at Atlanta and bringing a much different roster than the squad that beat Indiana 112-107 in Phoenix on Jan. 21. Durant is unlikely to play Friday.

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LeBron James Passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as NBA’s All-Time Top Scorer

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James parlayed his offensive versatility over 20 seasons into the NBA all-time scoring record, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Tuesday for most points in league history.

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James eclipsed Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387 career regular-season points on a fallaway shot with 10.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Lakers’ Tuesday game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.

He stepped back from the defense of Kenrich Williams near the foul line and sank the record-breaking jumper.

Abdul-Jabbar, who was sitting courtside, stood and applauded as James celebrated. The former Lakers star and NBA commissioner Adam Silver both shook James’ hand and gave him brief hugs at center court.

James then got on a microphone and said, “Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without all y’all. All y’all helped. All y’all’s passion and sacrifices helped me to get to this point.

“And to the NBA, to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of something I always dreamed about. I would never in a million years dreamt this to be even better than what it is tonight. So (expletive) man, thank you, guys.”

James ended the night with 38 points, leaving his career total at 38,390 points, but the Lakers lost 133-130.

Silver subsequently released a statement that read, “Congratulations to LeBron on breaking one of the most hallowed records in all of sports by becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. It’s a towering achievement that speaks to his sustained excellence over 20 seasons in the league. And quite amazingly, LeBron continues to play at an elite level and his basketball history is still being written.”

After the game, James said, “I don’t know if it’s hit me. It hit me a little when my family got out on the floor after it happened and I saw all my friends and family, but it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. …

“To be able to play at this level, 20 years in and the minutes I played, the games I played, through the regular season and the postseason, to still be at the apex of my game is a really surreal feeling.

“Hopefully I can keep doing it but at the end of the day it’s just been a pleasure to be in this league for 20 years. And however long I can go and however long that can be, I’ve had a hell of a run.”

Asked whether he is the best NBA player of all time, James replied, “I’ll let everybody else decide who that is or just talk about it, but it’s great barbershop talk. Me personally, I’m going to take myself against anybody who’s ever played this game. But everyone’s gonna have their favorite, decide who their favorite is.

“I know what I bring to the table every single night and what I can do out on this floor. I always feel like I’m the best to ever play this game, but there are so many great ones and I’m happy to be just a part of their journey.”

The star-studded crowd included tennis legend John McEnroe, music stars Jay-Z, LL Cool J and Bad Bunny, actor Denzel Washington and former Lakers players Bob McAdoo and James Worthy, among others.

With the skills of a point guard, the shooting prowess of a wing and the strength of a power forward, James entered Tuesday’s game averaging 30 points per game this season and needing 36 on the night to break the record.

James, 38, has averaged 27.2 points per game in his career while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-10, 2014-18), Miami Heat (2010-14) and the Lakers (2018-present).

Not counted in his regular-season record total are James’ 7,631 playoff points, also the most by a player in NBA history. He has played in 266 career postseason games while winning four NBA championships.

James missed his first two shots against the Thunder before scoring his first basket on a 3-pointer from the left wing with 7:03 remaining in the first quarter. He had eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in the opening period and 20 points by halftime by going 6 of 10 from the floor, although Los Angeles trailed 76-66 at the break.

In an example of just how consistent of a scorer James has been, he also extended his record streak of double-digit games to 1,140.

James’ record performance wasn’t enough for the Lakers, though, as the Thunder emerged with the win.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, “The guys, they wanted to see Bron do what he did tonight. A lot of times I think the focus was more about trying to get Bron to the record as opposed to just playing natural basketball. We were able to make some good plays and he did what he did, he eclipsed the record. But we just had too many mistakes.”

–Field Level Media