[Bontemps] Embiid edges out Jokic by 2 points in ESPN's final MVP straw poll of 2022-23

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In the season's first straw poll in December, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum led the way by just 92 total points. At the time, that margin was the second smallest of any of the previous 12 straw polls conducted since the 2016-17 season. (The closest came in the middle of last season, when Embiid led Jokic by 35 total points.)

The vote swung toward Jokic in the second poll, taken just before the All-Star break. Jokic claimed 77 of the 100 first-place votes, with Antetokounmpo (11 first-place votes) finishing second and Embiid (six first-place votes) third.

At the time, Jokic's lead was seemingly cemented and so was his bid to claim the award for a third straight season.

But a series of factors have caused the race to tighten dramatically.

There was snapback from Jokic's big lead in MVP odds, as multiple straw poll voters expressed that there is a higher bar to clear for a third straight MVP. Denver lost four straight games and five out of six earlier this month. Philadelphia, for its part, won eight straight games against the league's hardest post-All-Star schedule, per ESPN Stats & Information research.