Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup on Monday after missing three games with a knee injury. The reigning NBA MVP scored 41 points with 10 rebounds in a 124–115 victory over the Houston Rockets. It was his 16th consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Yet until Monday, Embiid had only played in two games so far in January and missed all four games of the Sixers’ road trip between Christmas and New Year’s Day before that. That led reporters to ask Embiid about the NBA’s new 65-game threshold to be eligible for awards including MVP and All-NBA teams.
The Sixers’ star center says pushing through injury to play 65 games so he can win another MVP award isn’t a consideration.
