PHILADELPHIA — Before Tuesday night’s showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and the defending champion Denver Nuggets, 76ers coach Nick Nurse announced that he had been ranked in the top two in the past three MVP races. He was asked about a direct showdown between 76ers center Joel Embiid and the Nuggets. Opponent: Nikola Jokic.
“Tonight’s card is more than just a big heavyweight match,” Nurse said with a smile. “There’s more to come.”
That might have been true. But the two superstar bigwigs more than lived up to the expectations at the top of their billboards.
And in the end, it was Embiid who landed the knockout blow.
Embiid had 41 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, while Jokic had 24 points, 19 rebounds and three assists, including 11 offensive boards. However, what made the difference in the 126-121 victory was Embiid’s 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter.
“I think we finally got some stops defensively,” Embiid said after the game. “Especially at halftime, after both teams gave up 78 points apiece, we knew the first team to make a stop was likely to win the game. And we were that team.”
Prior to Monday’s 41-point, 10-rebound performance against the Houston Rockets, Embiid had missed three consecutive games due to knee soreness and had played seven of the past nine games in Philadelphia due to knee soreness and ankle pain. He was absent due to a sprain. However, he was also not listed on the injury report for Tuesday’s game against Denver.
Embiid’s streak of 30 points and 10 rebounds ended at 16 games, tying him with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the longest streak in NBA history other than Wilt Chamberlain, but that didn’t diminish his dominance in the game. –especially. Just before the end.
After starting the fourth quarter down by five points, the 76ers (26-13) managed to tie the score with Embiid and Jokic checking in with 7:28 left. And after Jokic and Tyrese Maxey traded baskets, Embiid scored 10 points in a row to give Philadelphia the lead. Euros gets past Jokic for a layup, makes an and-one jumper, makes a 3-pointer and buries another jumper.
“It was a close game,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I was one step away. Joel.” [Embiid] He’s an incredible talent. ”
It was a fitting end to a highly entertaining game in which both teams scored 78 points in the first half in a game where much of the defense appeared to be an option. The 156 points total in the first half was the most in a tie game in the shot clock era (since 1954), according to ESPN Stats & Information.
But most of all, the head-to-head matchup between two of the league’s best players more than lived up to the hype. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Embiid became the first opposing center to have more points and assists than Jokic in a game this season. Only Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun (April 4, 2023) has accomplished that over the past two seasons.
“These are probably the two best players of our generation,” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said.
Despite competing for league MVP for the third straight time, Embiid and Jokic continue to speak highly of each other. That was no exception after Tuesday’s game, with Jokic praising Embiid’s play this season, and Embiid saying Jokic deserves to be considered the best player who won last season’s NBA Finals MVP.
“He’s a really great player,” Jokic said. “He’s playing historic right now. He’s averaging 30-odd points every night, and that’s very difficult to achieve, especially every night.”
“But I mean, I’m not playing against him. I’m playing against Philadelphia. It was a good matchup.”
“We’re both like, ‘Okay, we just want to play basketball and win games,’ and he deserves that,” Embiid said. [the title of best player] until you knock him [off]. He’s the Finals MVP. You can claim it until someone takes it away. ”
Then Embiid smiled.
“But again, I believe in myself,” he said. “I’ll leave it like this. We’ll just get there.”
Performances like this gave the 76ers confidence that they could compete with the league’s elite teams. The 76ers are 23-6 this season with Embiid in uniform, with wins over both Boston and Denver on his resume.
Embiid, who finished first in ESPN’s first round of MVP Straw voting last month, is in pole position and has earned the league’s top individual honor for the second straight season. But he knows the 76ers will ultimately be judged on whether they can make the playoffs and get past the second round.
“I don’t think I care about people deciding who’s the best,” Embiid said. “I know I want to be the best and I’m going to do whatever it takes to be the best. But sometimes you have to win as a team to make sure that. , you have to do the best job possible.” “You put yourself and your team in the best possible position to win. And if you want to be the best, you have to win…” We have to find a way to win. So that’s my goal.”
“I said it at the beginning of the season: You keep talking about Boston and Milwaukee, and that’s fine. They might be better than us, they might be more talented than us. But… I still believe there’s a chance.” It just takes a little bit of luck.
“As I always say, we have to be perfect. We have to be in sync. We have to play off each other. And we’ve been doing that pretty well this year. Ta.”