“Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have the exact same clutch field goals made and attempted”: How the MVP favorites are statistically identical during crunch time

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have made and attempted the exact same amount of field goals during clutch situations this season. 

Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid became MVP favorites this 2021-22 NBA season after it was clear Steph Curry and Kevin Durant weren’t going to stay healthy for enough games to be seriously considered for the award. That along with them playing absolutely stellar basketball of course. 

Last year saw Jokic hoist the MVP trophy over his head after Embiid hadn’t played nearly as many games as him. This season however, Embiid has played merely 8 games less than Nikola Jokic and is neck-and-neck with him for MVP honors.

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Jokic is currently leading the race as of the most recent MVP ladder as he’s become quite the media darling. Many have claimed not picking him outright is simply not the right answer as he’s even better this season than his MVP season, especially on the defensive end of the floor. 

While the MVP discussion involving them is certainly a toss-up, their ability to perform in the clutch most definitely isn’t. 

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic lead the league in clutch FGs made and attempted. 

A particularly jarring statistic as of March 27th, 2022 is that both Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have made and attempted the same exact number of field goals during clutch time situations. 

A clutch situation is described as one that has a game within 5 points with under 5 minutes remaining in the game. Both Embiid and Jokic have made 44 field goals during this time on 89 attempts. The former however, has gone 10-22 from 3-point range while the latter is merely 2-11.

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The difference in their 3s during clutch time is what separates their point totals as Joel Embiid has scored 145 points and Nikola Jokic has scored 135 points. Surprisingly, despite all the hubbub around the Cameroonian player’s constant trips to the charity stripe, he’s attempted only 6 more than Jokic in the clutch this season. 

Even in the win-loss column, Joel Embiid has won one less game and lost one less game than Jokic in the clutch, with him winning 19 games and losing 12.