Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid loved the opportunity to match up against a fellow 7-footer in Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, as the Sixers handed them a 114-97 loss on Thursday night.

Embiid showed off with 23 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and a game-high five blocks before fouling out in 33 minutes.

“Oh, I love playing against guys like him. Defensive Player of the Year, I guess.” said Embiid, making air quotes when he mentioned the award, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I should have gotten that title. But I love playing against him. He's a great guy, great defender. I have a lot of respect for him. He makes me better every time I play against him. The future matchups are going to be exciting, and I can't wait.”

Embiid has been audibly vying for the DPOY award for quite a while now, and his 1.86 blocks per game have him ninth in the league race for the meanest shot-swatter in the NBA. Gobert, the reigning DPOY, is currently at 2.08 blocks per game while hauling in 12.4 rebounds — five spots behind Embiid.

The Sixers center admitted he hasn't played up to DPOY expectations and is likely only third in the race, yet his five blocks were a season high and way more than the lone rejection the Jazz managed against the 76ers.

Surely, there's a thing or two Embiid can pick up from Gobert's positioning and relentlessness when chasing shots at the rim, despite only seeing two chances a year to square up against one another.