Many were looking forward to the Philadelphia 76ers matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. However, everything changed last minute when Joel Embiid was ruled out from the contest, meaning he won't face off against Nikola Jokic yet again. We finally know why Philly decided to sit their superstar center.

Embiid was reportedly dealing with left knee soreness during the pregame warmup, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The 76ers' training staff was concerned with Joel Embiid's status and chose to rest him for a fourth straight game.

“Embiid is out with left knee soreness, source says. Sixers training staff had concerns while watching Embiid during his warm-up routine and made [the] decision for him to sit out vs. Denver today, sources said. Sixers are without Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris.”

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This is incredibly disappointing for the 76ers and basketball fans everywhere. Joel Embiid hasn't played in Denver since November 2019. All signs were pointing toward him playing on Saturday too. He was even listed as probable earlier in the day. So, it's a bit odd to see Philadelphia pull Joel Embiid right before tip-off.

Even so, dealing with injuries isn't anything new for Embiid. He's struggled with them throughout most of his career. However, when healthy, the 76ers' center is one of the best players in the league. He can score from anywhere and is an MVP candidate every season. Regardless, it's unfortunate NBA fans don't get to watch Joel Embiid take on Nikola Jokic.

The 76ers don't play against the Nuggets again after this game this season. So, if we want to see Embiid vs. Jokic, it'll have to be in the NBA Finals. If that's not the championship matchup, we'll have to wait until next season to watch these giants clash.