Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander look like MVP frontrunners; David Tepper pays for embarrassment

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🏀 Good morning to everyone but especially … 

 JOEL EMBIID AND SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER

Joel Embiid is back, and the 76ers are back in the win column. After missing four games due to an ankle injury, Philadelphia’s superstar returned with a 31-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in a 110-97 win over the Bulls. It’s Embiid’s 14th straight 30-point, 10-rebound game. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have had longer streaks.

Somehow, it might have been only the second-most impressive performance from an MVP contender: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 36 points as the Thunder held on for a thrilling 127-123 win over the Celtics in a game featuring two of the NBA’s four top teams.

It’s no coincidence Embiid and Gilgeous-Alexander are battling for No. 1 in Brad Botkin’s latest MVP rankings.

👍 Honorable mentions

😐 And not such a good morning for …

DAVID TEPPER AND THE CAROLINA PANTHERS

The NFL fined Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for throwing a drink at a Jaguars fan in the arena’s seating bowl from his private suite during Sunday’s 26-0 loss in Jacksonville.

Yes, this is a drop in the bucket for Tepper, who is worth over $20 billion. But you can’t put a price on dignity, and Tepper’s was compromised in the most public of eyes. It’s one thing to run a franchise into the ground. It’s another thing to lash out at fans…