FS1 analyst Skip Bayless breaks down the horrendous performance by Joel Embiid, talks about the impact of the MVP snub
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The Philadelphia 76ers went on the road last night, as they faced the Miami Heat for Game 5. After leveling things at 2 apiece at home, the Sixers were looking to take the lead. With Adrian Wojnarowski breaking the news that Nikola Jokic has won his 2nd MVP honors, people expected Joel Embiid to explode in the game.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been voted the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive season, sources tell ESPN. A formal announcement is expected this week.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 9, 2022
However, Embiid ended up imploding. In 33 minutes, JoJo just had 17 points and 5 rebounds. His co-star, James Harden also recorded just 14 points and 6 rebounds. The entire Philly starting lineup was had a negative plus/minus.
On the other hand, the Heat had 7 players score in double digits, with Jimmy Butler leading the charge with 23 points.
Skip Bayless talks about the shameful performance by Joel Embiid and co.
After losing out on the MVP honors two years in a row, there was expected to be some resentment by the Cameroonian superstar. However, I guess he left all of that for the mic only. On the court, we saw a horrendous display by JoJo and squad.
The Sixers didn’t look competent at all and were handed an 85-120 defeat. Skip Bayless talked about the same.
“Joel Embiid was a -29 in plus-minus last night with his running mate James Harden also a game low -29. When your two stars are a -29 and Playoff Jimmy is a +36, you’re gonna get your butts blown off.”
— @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/vAlBKyKlDa
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 11, 2022
Maybe it’s something psychological, or it’s the injuries taking their toll on Joel Embiid. However, the rest of the team cant use the same excuse. If the Sixers want to keep their campaign alive, they need to pull up their socks and defend the homecourt in the upcoming do-or-die contest on Thursday.