Joel Embiid scored 52 points and added 13 rebounds, six assists and two blocks as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 103-101.
It was the fifth 50-point game in the career of the 29-year-old.
With five days left in the regular season, Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers feels Embiid is the obvious candidate to be 2023’s Most Valuable Player.
“I’m biased, but the MVP race is over,” Rivers said. “We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel.”
The defeat for the second-placed Celtics all but ended their hopes of securing top seeding for the imminent play-offs in the Eastern Conference standings.
They must now win all three of their remaining regular-season games and hope Milwaukee lose their final three fixtures to take first place and home advantage in the play-offs.
James Harden added 20 points and 10 assists in 40 minutes for third-placed Philadelphia and afterwards agreed with Rivers that Embiid has been the season’s standout player.
He said: “Joel should win it. He’s been in contention for it the last few years. He led the league in scoring last year.”
When asked about the MVP comments from his coach and team-mate, Embiid joked they were “probably right” but said the team had “bigger goals”.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a triple double as Milwaukee took a big step to sealing first place in the Eastern Conference with a 140-128 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Antetokounmpo finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Bucks now need to win only one of their final three games to guarantee number one seeding.
In the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets missed the opportunity to claim top spot after slumping to a shock 124-103 defeat at the Houston Rockets.
Jalen Green’s 32 points led Houston, who are bottom of the west standings, to victory while Denver star Nikola Jokic – the reigning two-time MVP – was held to just 14 points.
The final two automatic play-off places from the Western Conference will be fought out between the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Golden State Warriors moved into fifth place in the standings with a 136-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Steph Curry scoring 34 points and Jordan Poole adding 30.
The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, are just outside the automatic play-off spots after securing a 135-133 overtime win over the Utah Jazz, with LeBron James scoring 37 points.
The Lakers are tied with the Clippers in sixth place in the Western Conference after a fourth consecutive victory and face their local rivals on Wednesday.
