Joel Embiid and Donovan Mitchell enjoyed a fantastic performance right around Christmas. Both players led their teams to new heights helping them climb the ladder in their Conference.
Donovan Mitchell finished off the month with 30.2 points and 5 assists per game. The Jazz’ record for December stands at 12-2 as they managed to defeat the likes of the Clippers, the 76ers, the Mavericks, and the Cavaliers. The team went on two six-game winning streaks which helped them close the gap to the Warriors and the Suns in the West.
The Jazz’ shooting guard started off the month with three 30+ points performances, leading his team to an 8-game winning streak. He set a month-high 39 points in the last game for 2021 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Donovan Mitchell never dropped below 21 points during December and he was the main reason for the strong-looking Utah Jazz.
Donovan Mitchell challenging Steph Curry on offense! 🔥pic.twitter.com/n7ofn8DTH3
— Jazz Nation (@JazzNationCP) January 2, 2022
Joel Embiid, on the other hand, had an incredible comeback following COVID-19. He stated that he suffered a lot throughout this 2-week span off the court. However, he began to play on a very high level right after his return. He averaged 29.2 points 11.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists for 14 games in December.
The Cameroonian center helped his team outlast the Warriors on December 11th. He led the way for the win with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. His best performance for the month came against the Charlotte Hornets where he dropped 43 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, securing his fifth double-double in a row.
Embiid taking the player of the month award away from DeRozan 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/6OValjIoe3
— Prez💊 (@PresidentEmbiid) January 4, 2022
The Utah Jazz remain 3rd in the Western Conference with 27 wins and 10 losses. The team seems to have an easy schedule ahead of them until January 23rd when they will face the Warriors. In the following two games, the Jazz will play the Phoenix Suns.
The Philadelphia 76ers will have a tough schedule in mid-January as they will consecutively face the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, and the Washington Wizards. The team managed to climb back to 5th place in the East with a 20-16 record. They will still need to level up their game, if they want to make the top 4 by the end of the season.
