Joel Embiid finished with 41 points and 10 assists to help the Philadelphia 76ers win against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 126-121 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, in a battle of the last 2 league MVPs.
The Serbian finished with 25 points and 19 boards, as 11 of them were offensive rebounds.
Joel Embiid wins the “Battle of the Bigs” as the 76ers defeat the Nuggets at home 126-121.
Is Embiid your NBA MVP so far? pic.twitter.com/kT4N2d99Iu
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 17, 2024
Tyrese Maxey notched 25 points, and Tobias Harris added 24 for Philadelphia’s triumph.
MVP battle tonight:
Embiid — Jokic —
41 PTS 25 PTS
7 REB 20 REB
10 AST 3 AST76ers win. pic.twitter.com/hQGAXRiqoE
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 17, 2024
Joel had his 18th consecutive 30-point match, tying Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor for the 6th longest streak in the National Basketball League history.
Both organizations played 1 of the most entertaining halves of the campaign, which finished without a winner – 78:78.
“It’s a big game for us – playing the defending champs – we wanted to see where we’re at. We’ve just got to stay at it, and keep working.” – @tobias31 on tonight’s big W. @PennMedicine pic.twitter.com/lQsNTj8eRL
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 17, 2024
Denver will travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Friday after a nearly 9-hour flight to Philly, while the Sixers will travel to Orlando to play against the Magic on the same day.