The Philadelphia 76ers will be entering their Monday night clash against the Denver Nuggets with added motivation. Not only have they dropped three of their past four games, but Joel Embiid will surely want to play to the best of his abilities with a matchup against fellow MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, the player to whom he has finished second to over the past two MVP races.

However, with the playoffs looming, the Sixers could very well decide to play it safe and save their cards for when it matters most. Thus, they could hold Embiid out of their upcoming highly-anticipated matchup against the Nuggets, much to the chagrin of fans and pundits who are curious to see how the matchup between two heavyweight centers affects the overall MVP discourse.

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Joel Embiid injury status vs. Nuggets

Despite Joel Embiid's lengthy injury history, he has not missed too much time for the Sixers due to injury, especially as of late. The Sixers star has suited up in their past 13 games, last missing a game on March 1 in a 23-point victory over the Miami Heat due to a sore foot. However, Embiid is set to miss a must-see matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Monday night, as the Sixers have listed him as out due to tightness in his right calf, per Woj.

While it's hard to envision Embiid missing a matchup against Jokic for the world, the Sixers big man has reiterated time and time again that succeeding in the playoffs is what truly matters to him, not necessarily the regular season plaudits.

Moreover, Joel Embiid has already hinted about needing a rest day soon, given the heavy workload he has shouldered in the month of March, which was only made heavier by James Harden's absence over the past three contests.

Should Embiid miss time, Paul Reed, Dewayne Dedmon, and Montrezl Harrell figure to play a part in the Sixers rotation. Head coach Doc Rivers could choose to go small as well, inserting Jalen McDaniels or Georges Niang in the starting lineup instead. Or perhaps, should James Harden return and Embiid sit out, the Sixers could run a Harden-Tyrese Maxey-De'Anthony Melton-Tobias Harris-PJ Tucker starting unit.

At the moment, however, the answer to the question of whether or not Joel Embiid is playing tonight vs. the Nuggets is a firm no.