It's NBA rivalry week this week with matchups scheduled not only between teams that are rivals, but players as well. One of the most anticipated matchups this week came in the form of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. It was a matchup between two perennial MVP candidates in Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. But the game lost some of its wind with the announcement that Joel Embiid would not play against the Nuggets as he appeared on the Sixers injury report. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone admitted after the game that there was a bit of a letdown.

The Nuggets still pulled off the win, 111-105, against the Sixers, but the Nuggets lost some of their focus according to Malone when they found out Joel Embiid wasn't going to be playing. The game itself lost its luster as NBA fans were waiting to see the two best big men in the NBA go head to head. Embiid and Jokic squared off against each other just a couple of weeks ago in Philadelphia with the Sixers grabbing the win and Embiid outscoring Jokic, 41-25.

Both players are in the running for the MVP award although Embiid's chances are dwindling with each game that he misses. Embiid can only miss six more games to still remain in contention for end of the season awards. As per the NBA's new CBA, players must play in at least 65 games to be eligible for awards. Embiid has missed 11 games so far. He was a late scratch against the Nuggets after experiencing knee issues during his warmups.