After Joel Embiid missed the 76ers’ annual road game in Denver for the fifth consecutive season on Tuesday, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic dismissed questions about his counterpart’s absences.
“I really don’t care who is on the other side. I just want to win. So it’s not something that I’m thinking about. I think that people are making it a bigger story than it is,” Jokic said after Denver’s 144-109 win. “My wish is that (Embiid) recovers really well, because he’s missing a lot of games this year. I think he’s a great athlete, and I think he’s a great basketball player. … It’s a joy to watch him play, with how dominant he is.”
Embiid has missed 29 of Philadelphia’s 42 games this season, most recently due to swelling in his knee that occurred as he was recovering from a separate foot injury. The 30-year-old big man didn’t travel with the 76ers on their recent three-game road trip that ended in Denver.
Jokic went for 27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals in a blowout win for the Nuggets (27-16), who handed the 76ers their seventh consecutive loss.
Denver will visit Philadelphia on Jan. 31.
The last time Embiid played at Ball Arena was Nov. 8, 2019. Since then, he and Jokic have battled for MVP votes on an annual basis. Jokic won the award in 2021, 2022 and 2024, with Embiid finishing as the runner-up twice. Jokic was the runner-up to Embiid in 2023.
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