DENVER — Nikola Jokić can’t face Joel Embiid in a highly anticipated match with the MVP split on Monday night.
With Embiid sidelined with a right calf injury, Jokic got his 29th brace of the season to lift the title. Denver nuggets to one win 116-111 via Philadelphia 76ers at the Ball Arena.
Sixers sit both Embiid and James Harden (Achilles left pain) as Jokic scored 25 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. Jokic, the two-time reigning MVP, didn’t have much praise for the Sixers superstar looking to claim his own MVP crown.
“I think he’s a great player,” Jokic said of Embiid. “I think he will be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league. He was a beast and he was so talented.
“He can influence [the game] many ways on the floor. He can hand up, he can face down, he can spin 3s. He can defend really well. In some situations he can defend from 1 to 5. So he’s a really, really good player.”
Monday’s contest was supposed to be the last match in the regular season between two of the top MVP contenders, a chance for Jokic and Embiid to make a strong case for voters.
For Jokic, this counts as his second straight match against another top MVP contender. On Saturday, Jokic faced Milwaukee‘S Giannis Antetokounmpo and helped the Nuggets beat the Bucks 129-106. Jokic had 31 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds while receiving the Defensive Player of the Year nominee Brook López into foul trouble.
Then on Monday morning, The Sixers decided to hold back Embiid to give his sore right calf a rest amidst their hectic schedule.
In their only other regular game, Embiid exploded with 47 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 robberies and 2 blocks in a 126-119 win over the Nuggets on January 28 in Philadelphia. Jokic had 24 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds.
The MVP debate has been a hot topic this season, with Embiid leading the league with 33.3 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. He’s hit the mark lately, starting in March with 10 consecutive 30-goals, the first striker to do so since. Shaquille O’Neal in 2001.
Meanwhile, the Western Conference-leading Nuggets had a rough time in early March, losing four straight games and five out of six. But they have won four games in a row since then.
Jokic is looking to become the fourth player to win three consecutive MVP awards, along with Larry Bird, Withered Chamberlain And Bill Russel.
The Denver big has five triple triples this month and 105 to his career, one who is afraid to tie LeBron James fifth most in NBA history.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers, when asked about the discourse surrounding the MVP race, said people should appreciate Embiid and Jokic.
“Looks like we can’t celebrate everyone,” Rivers said before the game. “The tournament is in a great place. It’s a great place. You have Joel Embiid and the Joker, two centers, in a centerless tournament, dominating the league. You have Giannis, and I’ve always watched him. it’s a whatever, because we don’t know what [position] That’s Giannis, but he’s one of the best players in the league. Jayson Tatum playing unbelievable. Kevin Durant, if he is not injured. You can just keep going.
“You can like them all, and you really may not like one because you love the other. But you don’t have to hate anyone. I think we just need to go back to assessing whether your preferences are nothing, and I’m not sure you don’t think you have to hate other people.”
