Center matchups in the NBA don't get hyped like they used to because there aren't many traditional centers left in the league, and no one is calling former league MVPs Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid traditional, but it's a major event when those superstars face off because they are clearly the best big men in the league. They are scheduled to meet Tuesday night in Philadelphia… except the Nuggets are listing Jokic and every other starter as questionable. The Sixers are -3 on the SportsLine consensus.
Do we really think Denver coach Mike Malone is going to rest every starter? He likely was employing a little gamesmanship and in fact the Nuggets already have upgraded all those guys to probable.
The Sixers generally list Embiid as questionable before every game. The reigning league MVP returned from a three-game injury absence Monday afternoon (knee soreness) and led a 124-115 home win over Houston with 41 points and 10 rebounds, his astounding 16th straight game with at least 30 and 10, only the third player in history with such a streak.
There was a spell in the second half when it looked like Embiid's streak could be in danger on the boards after he picked up his fifth foul at the 4:42 mark of the third quarter and didn't re-enter until early in the fourth. But he grabbed a couple of boards to get to 10 before being pulled after just 31 minutes of action.
Were Tuesday just a normal game against, say, Washington, the Sixers might sit their franchise player in the second game of a back-to-back. He may be listed as questionable when the Philly injury report comes out later today but it's hard to imagine he would sit if Jokic plays.
Embiid didn't win the 2022-23 MVP with just one game but it definitely resonated with voters when Jokic and the Nuggets visited the City of Brotherly Love on Jan. 28 last season and Embiid utterly dominated with 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks against Jokic in a Philly victory. Embiid was also duly motivated for that game by not being named a starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Jokic had fine numbers: 24 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Jokic is the current +180 favorite at DraftKings to win a third MVP and Embiid is +600 to repeat.
For Tuesday, the Nuggets were listing Jokic as questionable with a left hip strain, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with a right cervicothoracic strain, Aaron Gordon with a right heel strain, Jamal Murray with bilateral tibia inflammation, and Michael Porter Jr. with left knee inflammation.
All five played at least 30 minutes Sunday and Denver doesn't play again until Friday. None of them have missed a game yet in 2024 and the Nuggets would be facing a huge fine for a national TV game if all of them sat out. Part of this injury report is surely a nod to Embiid, because he hasn't played a game in Denver since 2019 due to injury/rest and has only appeared on the floor there twice in his career. The Denver locals call Emiid's proclivity for dodging the game a "Philly Special."
"Who doesn't want to play against the best? It's fun to play against the best. You kind of measure yourself and see where you are," Embiid said of tonight's potential matchup vs. Jokic.
Embiid's Sixers are 5-2 all-time vs. Jokic's Nuggets with Embiid averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Jokic averages 21.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists against Philadelphia. For Tuesday, Embiid is set at 49.5 points + rebounds + assists, with Jokic at 46.5.
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