Initially not listed on the injury report, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was a late scratch against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. This was very disappointing, as fans had been looking forward to the matchup between Embiid and Nikola Jokic.
Following the game, Jokic was asked about Embiid and said, “If you’re a basketball fan or a soccer fan or NFL fan, the things that he’s doing right now, it’s historic, and we need to appreciate that… Whether you’re a Denver fan or whatever fan, I think you need to appreciate what he is doing.”
There is a lot of mutual respect between Jokic and Embiid, even despite the ongoing debates that persist about the two players in the media. Once again neck and neck in the MVP race, Jokic and Embiid are arguably the two best players in basketball, but don’t entertain those debates themselves.
While it is very unfortunate that Embiid did not play in this game, fans did get one exciting matchup between he and Jokic not too long ago. It would have been great to see Embiid battle Jokic in Denver, but perhaps these two teams could face off in the NBA Finals.