Joel Embiid scored 52 points and added 13 rebounds, six assists and two blocks as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 103-101.<\/span><\/p>\n It was the fifth 50-point game in the career of the 29-year-old.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n “I’m biased, but the MVP race is over,” Rivers said. “We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel.”<\/span><\/p>\n 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. <\/span><\/p>\n 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. <\/span><\/p>\n 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. <\/span><\/p>\n 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.”<\/span><\/p>\n 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”. <\/span><\/p>\n Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a triple double as <\/span>Milwaukee<\/strong> took a big step to sealing first place in the Eastern Conference with a 140-128 victory over the <\/span>Washington Wizards.<\/strong><\/p>\n 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. <\/span><\/p>\n In the Western Conference, the <\/span>Denver Nuggets<\/strong> missed the opportunity to claim top spot after slumping to a shock 124-103 defeat at the <\/span>Houston Rockets. <\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n 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. <\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Golden State Warriors<\/strong> moved into fifth place in the standings with a 136-125 win over the <\/span>Oklahoma City Thunder,<\/strong> with Steph Curry scoring 34 points and Jordan Poole adding 30.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Los Angeles Lakers,<\/strong> meanwhile, are just outside the automatic play-off spots after securing a 135-133 overtime win over the <\/span>Utah Jazz, <\/strong>with LeBron James scoring 37 points.<\/span><\/p>\n 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. <\/span><\/p>\n
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