After Joel Embiid exploded against the Denver Nuggets and outdueled Nikola Jokic, all the talk has been how the Philadelphia 76ers center should win MVP this 2022-23. Denver head coach Michael Malone certainly didn't like that, especially since it's just one game.

As Malone highlighted, one game should never completely alter the MVP conversation. Jokic has been leading the MVP race this campaign, and while he is still the top choice for a lot of people, Embiid has changed a lot of minds with his recent performance.

The fact that the MVP favorite can swing after one basketball game is crazy to me,” Malone said, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

True enough, Malone makes a great point here. Being MVP is about consistency of play, and it's definitely unfair to put one over the other just because of one game. Not to mention that Jokic didn't play bad at all against the Sixers, and the Nuggets remain at the top of the West and second overall in the whole NBA.

Joel Embiid definitely deserves the recognition he's getting. Scoring 47 points on top of 18 rebounds and five assists is the kind of performance that put you in the MVP conversation. Michael Malone isn't saying that he shouldn't be there anyway. It's just that Embiid needs to prove that he can consistently do it and keep the Sixers competing. The same goes for Nikola Jokic, especially since we're just at the halfway point of the season and there's still plenty of basketball to be played.