Chicago Bulls fans chanted “M-V-P” on Sunday afternoon for DeMar DeRozan, a familiar refrain this season at the United Center, as the All-Star guard went off again during a season-high 45-point effort against the Philadelphia 76ers.
But the MVP of the game — and perhaps the frontrunner for the 2021-22 award — was 76ers center Joel Embiid, who scored 40 points and hauled in 10 rebounds in a 119-108 win over the undermanned Bulls.
Embiid’s dominance in the fourth quarter prevented the Bulls from completing a comeback after they cut a 17-point deficit to four, and he led the 76ers to their third straight win against the Bulls in the season series.
