Nikola Jokic's chance to avenge himself against Joel Embiid after an embarrassing performance against him in January was taken away. The Philadelphia 76ers' big man was ruled out with a calf injury, making the Denver Nuggets' matchup with the Sixers much less interesting.
Despite a late comeback score, Jokic took care of business with 25 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Nuggets to victory. There is a lot of animosity between his and Embiid's supporters but the Nuggets superstar further showed that the two stars have respect for one another by showering him with praise after the game, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“I think he's a great player,” Jokic said after the Nuggets' win, via ESPN. “I think he's gonna be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league. The guy's a beast, and he's so talented. He can affect [the game] many ways on the floor. He can post up, he can face up, he can shoot 3s. He can defend really well. He can, in some situations, guard one through five. So he's a really, really good player.”
![[NBA awards] Nikola Jokic next to Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Brunson, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F04%2F2024-NBA-awards-Official-picks-for-MVP-All-NBA-more-150x150.jpg&w=320&q=75)
Embiid's incredible scoring and defense have made him one of the best players in the league and the runner-up to Jokic in the MVP voting for the last two seasons. He has been very complimentary of Jokic in the past. Even after Embiid made some interesting comments that seem like shots at him, the Nuggets superstar has nothing but appreciation for him.
Nikola Jokic may have lost the chance to beat Joel Embiid in a game this season but he boosted his already impressive numbers to add to his MVP case. The Nuggets star is not out of the race and has a resumé that should give voters a lot to think about.
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