"I live for this matchup" - Joel Embiid on his victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and excitement about future partnership with James Harden

Joel Embiid got the better of Giannis Antetokounmpo on Thursday night. The Philadelphia 76ers center dropped 42 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as his side edged past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-120 at Fiserv Forum Arena.

Embiid shot 14-of-21 (66.7%) from the field and also dished out five assists as the 76ers squared the three-game season series 1-1. Embiid did not play in the earlier matchup between the two teams, which took place on November 9 last year.

On Thursday, though, Embiid enjoyed going head-to-head against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 32 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks. Embiid spoke glowingly about Antetokounmpo in his post-game television interview:

"Finals MVP. MVP of the regular season. I live for this type of matchups. It's always fun battling against him [Giannis]. Great player. I'm just glad we got the win."

Embiid also sounded very excited about the imminent addition of James Harden to the Philadelphia lineup. Harden is yet to play a game for the 76ers since being traded to the franchise on trade deadline day (February 10). Embiid seemed to be looking forward to playing with the 2018 regular season MVP and said:

"For all the 48 minutes we are going to be on the floor, all together. I'm just excited about it. I'm just excited about us to be healthy. I got to keep doing what I've been doing... We're pretty excited about what we can accomplish."

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Joel Embiid takes lead over Giannis Antetokounmpo for scoring title race

With his 42-point outing against the Milwaukee Bucks, Joel Embiid has taken pole position in the scoring title race. He is averaging 29.6 ppg, which puts him marginally ahead of Antetokounmpo, who is currently in second position with 29.4 ppg.

Kevin Durant (29.3 ppg) and LeBron James (29.1 ppg) round off the top four players in the race for the scoring title.

Embiid and Antetokounmpo are also locked in a terrific MVP race that has the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic and the Chicago Bulls' DeMar DeRozan as strong contenders. While Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020) and Jokic (2021) have won the award previously, Embiid and DeRozan are yet to lift the prestigious individual honor.

All four MVP contenders will now head to Cleveland, where they will participate in the 71st All-Star game that will take place on Sunday, February 20.