NBA MVP Power Rankings: Joel Embiid drops, a new No. 1 emerges

On Friday, the Dallas Mavericks headed into a big game against the Portland Trail Blazers. After defeating the Trail Blazers at home, the Mavericks looked to double down in Friday's game. They not only doubled down but dominated the opposing Trailblazers 139-103 with an injured roster.

The Mavericks were without their superstar Luka Doncic and rookie phenom Dereck Lively II, as both were out with injuries. The Mavs were also without forward Grant Williams as he went down with a similar injury to Lively II's.

Despite only being 1-5 with Lively II out of the lineup, the Mavericks trekked on behind Kyrie Irving. It was an all-around team effort, as four of the five starters finished in double digits when the final buzzer sounded.

NBA MVP Power Rankings: Joel Embiid drops, a new No. 1 emerges

A total of six Mavericks finished in double digits, and Jaden Hardy was a huge reason why. In one of his first starts of the season, Hardy finished with a near triple-double of 19 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Hardy seemed to get everyone involved and proved why he is a big piece of the Mavs rotation.

With so many Mavericks out due to injury, it has become clear to fans that the team needs to cash in for a third star. The gap from second to third best on this team is too wide if the Mavs expect to contend. Even if Nico Harrison can't cash in for a third star, the team needs to upgrade at the forward position.

Dallas also grabbed a big win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, and Luka Doncic looked phenomenal.

Let's take a look at this week's MVP Power Rankings.

10. Anthony Davis

Last week's rank: 9

Anthony Davis falls down the rankings after his Lakers go 2-10 in their last 12 games. Davis's production has dropped off dramatically after putting up amazing numbers last week. The Lakers will need a few more wins if Davis expects to get back in the race.

9. Domantas Sabonis

Last week's rank: N/A

Domantas Sabonis skyrockets up the rankings after leading the Kings to four wins in their last five played. Sabonis has quietly had an all-star-level season and expects to build on it as we get closer to the All-Star break.

8. Anthony Edwards

Last week's rank: 7

After going just 1-2 in last week's games, Anthony Edwards will drop. Edwards has had a promising start to the season as he has fluctuated in and out of MVP conversations.

7. Tyrese Haliburton

Last week's rank: 8

Tyrese Haliburton would be higher on this list if he didn't recently get blown out by the Boston Celtics. Despite the blowout loss, Haliburton led his Pacers to six straight wins and is back in the running in the East. Haliburton and the Pacers seem to be on a roll, so expect him to rise in the rankings next week.

6. Jayson Tatum

Last week's rank: 6

Once again, Jayson Tatum is hunkering down the sixth spot in this week's rankings. Tatum has led the Celtics to an NBA-best 28-7 and looks to build this historic season in the coming weeks.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Last week's rank: 5

Giannis Antetokounmpo remains in the five spot even after dominating in this week's recent games.

Despite going 1-2 in this week's games, Giannis has dominated all week, scoring 40-plus points twice in a row. In the loss to the Houston Rockets, Giannis left it all on the court as he finished with 48 points and 17 rebounds, keeping his double-double streak alive.

If it weren't for Giannis's 48 points, the Bucks would have likely never stood a chance on Saturday, as the Rockets' defense proved to be too much for the Bucks to handle. Milwaukee's next leading scorer was Damien Lillard with 18 points.

Giannis has now extended his double-double streak to seven games which extends any previous streak he held.

In Thursday's primetime game against rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, Giannis let the Spurs have it in the second half as he scored 29 of his 44 points in the final 24 minutes. The Bucks would hold on to the win and advance to a 25-10 record on the season.

Even after losing two of his last three, it's clear Giannis is dominating any and every opponent he faces. He is currently shooting a season-high 63 percent from the field in January. We may only be seven days into the month, but fans can already see the two-time MVP is on a mission to win his third.

The Bucks will draw a tough matchup against the Boston Celtics on Thursday for an Eastern Conference classic showdown. If Giannis and the Bucks win, he could rise in next week's rankings.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Last week's rank: 4

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder built on the winning streak they established over the new year and convincingly beat the top-seeded Boston Celtics, which is why he will land the four spot in this week's ranking.

The December Western Conference Player of The Month award was recently handed out, and Shai was the recipient of that award. After averaging 32 points and three steals, Shai was the runaway pick for the Player of the Month award. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was the only other player in the hunt.

Shai led the Thunder to an astounding 10-3 record in December, which would lead all teams in the West for the month. Since Shai's heroics in December, the Thunder now find themselves in a hole after they started 1-2 in January.

Beating the Celtics was a great start to the new year, but they have seemed to meet a wall in the recent week. Despite the two-game losing streak, Shai has dominated and kept the Thunder competitive. He has scored a combined 69 points in the last two games and has scored 30 plus points in eight of his last nine appearances.

The Thunder will have a tough road schedule ahead of them as they play seven of their next nine games on the road. Shai will need to keep the Thunder afloat if he expects to rise in the coming weeks.

3. Luka Doncic

Last week's rank: 3

After being in second place just two weeks ago, Luka Doncic will once again sit at the three spot in this week's rankings.

After scoring one of his season-low in points on New Year's Day, Doncic rebounded nicely with a 41-point performance in the win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On Wednesday, the Mavs finally had their full roster together, and Doncic took full advantage of that.

He nearly shot 60 percent from behind the arc and converted 62 percent of the time from the field. Doncic was electric in the game against the Blazers.

Since dominating the Trailblazers, Doncic would sit out of their second matchup. Even while sitting out, the Mavs would take care of business and walk out of the series vs the Trail Blazers, winning by a combined 55 points.

Dallas now continues the homestand, which Doncic will look to take full advantage of. They will draw a tough matchup in their next game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Mavericks will need to rebound after losing four of their last ten. A four-game home stretch will be a great opportunity to do so. Doncic and Irving will not only need to be healthy for these upcoming games, but they will both need to dominate if Doncic wants to compete for an MVP award come May.

Doncic and Irving dominated on Sunday night, and fans should be excited for the return of Dereck Lively II which could be coming soon.

2. Joel Embiid

Last week's rank: 1

For the first time in over a month, Joel Embiid will lose his spot atop the rankings due to several injuries and Philadelphia losses.

After a four-game absence, Embiid finally suited up for the Sixers on Tuesday. Playing the Chicago Bulls would be a good time for a bounce-back game, and that's exactly what Embiid did. He would go on to have his seventh career triple-double and would be just the second Sixer to have a 30-15-10 stat line. Wilt Chamberlin is the only other player in Philadelphia history to have that stat line.

Since Embiid's historic performance, the Sixers would play yet another game against the New York Knicks. Embiid would drop a game-high 30 points, but it wouldn't amount to much as they would get trampled by the Knicks on national TV.

The Sixers have now fallen to a 3-4 record in their last seven games. If Philadelphia expects to compete with the best in the league, they will need to clean up their most recent skid. The Sixers should have some winnable games ahead of them, but they could be without Embiid once again as he missed their recent game against the Jazz.

Philadelphia fans shouldn't be alarmed, as this could be a mid-season slump. The Sixers will have a chance to redeem themselves, as they are currently on a four-day rest. They will draw a tough matchup on Friday against the Sacramento Kings on ESPN.

1. Nikola Jokic

Last week's rank: 2

Nikolla Jokic has started the New Year off amazingly and jumped one spot after nearly a month.

The former two-time MVP has played brilliantly in the Nuggets last two games. The team played the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic in the last week and played well in both. Despite losing to the Magic, Jokic dominated in both games.

In Thursday's win over the Warriors, Jokic led the Nuggets back after being down by double-digits heading into the fourth quarter. The Nuggets not only won, but Jokic hit a game-winning buzzer-beater from half-court. With 3.7 seconds left on the clock, Jokic took the ball off an inbound pass and heaved it for the win.

On Friday, Jokic had the chance to make something similar happen after being down two points with two seconds remaining in the ball game. Unfortunately, the Nuggets failed to get a shot off and would lose 122-120. There was much criticism of the Nuggets as they failed to get Jokic involved in the final play. It's doubtful Jokic could have pulled off yet another example of Serbian Magic, but the Nuggets would have likely gotten a shot off at the very least.

The Nuggets will have two primetime games next week against the Pelicans and Jazz. They will look to build on their 25-12 record. The Dallas Mavericks will have a four-game homestand and play the Memphis Grizzlies next.

For more updates on Mavericks basketball and this loaded MVP race, stay plugged in.