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Tim Bontemps, ESPN
DENVER – Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid was a late scratch from Saturday afternoon’s nationally televised showdown with Denver Nuggets star and MVP challenger Nikola Jokic because of left knee soreness.
After going through his typical pregame workout ahead of the game, the team’s medical personnel didn’t like how the NBA’s reigning MVP was moving around, and chose to shut him down for the game, a league source told ESPN. Embiid was sporting a large wrap on his knee in the locker room before Saturday’s game.
Embiid missed three games earlier this month with the same issue and appeared to tweak the knee again in Thursday’s road loss to the Indiana Pacers. He wasn’t, however, listed on the injury report Saturday.
This marks the fourth straight season Embiid has missed playing against Jokic here in Denver, dating back to the two of them beginning their annual battle for the league’s top individual honor in the 2020-21 season.
Embiid missed a March 2021 game because of a meniscus injury, a November 2021 game because of COVID-19 and then sat out in March 2023 with a calf issue.
Embiid’s string of missed games in Denver has been a consistent storyline over the past couple of seasons, including when he missed the meeting between these two teams here late in the 2022-23 regular season at the height of the debate over who should win MVP. Eventually, it was Embiid who won his first, beating out Jokic, who was going for a third straight.
Meanwhile, fans in Denver started a loud “Where’s Embiid at?” chant midway through the first quarter after Denver raced out to an early lead.
By missing Saturday’s matchup, Embiid has now missed 11 games this season — moving him closer to not being eligible for this season’s MVP award. Under the new player participation rules put in place this season, players are ineligible for many season-ending honors, including MVP and All-NBA, if they play in fewer than 65 games.
Embiid can now only miss six of Philadelphia’s final 38 games in order to be able to win a second straight MVP award.
In addition to Embiid, both Tyrese Maxey (ankle) and Tobias Harris (illness) missed Saturday’s game, meaning Philadelphia was without its three leading scorers. A fourth starter, De’Anthony Melton, is in the middle of a multiweek absence with a back injury and also didn’t play.
Philadelphia was scheduled to fly Saturday evening from Denver to Portland, where it continues a five-game road trip Monday against the Trail Blazers. The 76ers then play the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday and the Utah Jazz on Thursday to round out the trip.