Joel Embiid once again denied NBA fans a marquee matchup.
The reigning NBA MVP missed the Philadelphia 76ers’ 111-105 loss to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
This was the fourth straight year Embiid has missed the Sixers’ game in Denver.
Philadelphia scratched Embiid shortly before tipoff with what was called discomfort in his left knee during warmups.
Embiid has now not appeared in a game in Denver since Nov. 8, 2019.
That led Nuggets fans to chant “Where’s Embiid at?” as Denver, the defending NBA champions, opened the game with a 13-4 run.
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Last season, Nuggets fans mocked Embiid with “Missing Person” signs in the stands at Ball Arena after he sat out the Sixers’ game in Denver with a sore calf, leading to accusations he was ducking Jokic.
At least one fan was seen doing the same on Sunday.
His last four matchups with Jokic were in Philadelphia, including a 126-121 Sixers win on Jan. 16 in which Embiid had 41 points and 10 assists to Jokic’s 25 points and 19 rebounds in a matchup of the last two NBA MVPs.
This time around Jokic once again led the way for Denver with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in the nervy win.
Paul Reed, meanwhile, stepped up in Embiid’s absence as the Sixers’ starting big man scored a game-high 30 points to go with 13 boards. Kelly Oubre Jr., meanwhile, had 25 points.
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Embiid has missed 11 games this season and can only miss six more the rest of the way to remain eligible for repeating as MVP.
The last person to win back-to-back MVPs was Jokic, whose quest for a three-peat was denied last year by Embiid.
Last season, the Sixers’ All-Star paced the NBA with 33.1 points per game.
This year, Embiid has taken his game to another level, leading the NBA in scoring with 36.0 points per game.
That includes his historic 70-point game Tuesday against the Spurs.
The Sixers will surely miss Embiid, as they are also playing without guard Tyrese Maxey (sprained left ankle), forward Tobias Harris (illness) and center Mo Bamba (inflamed right knee).
— with New York Post
‘CAN’T BE HAPPENING’: STEPHEN A. LOSES IT AT KNICKS INJURY
Julius Randle is “a warrior,” Tom Thibodeau said, who frequently plays through pain that few outsiders even know is there.
So when the Knicks’ head coach saw his star forward not attempt to stay in the closing minutes of Saturday’s win over the Heat after hurting his shoulder on a hard fall, he knew something was wrong.
“Very,” Thibodeau said about his concern level after the Knicks’ 125-109 victory at the Garden.
Randle barrelled to the hoop at 4:27 of the fourth in a game the Knicks were leading comfortably.
He crashed into Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was attempting to draw a charge, and clutched immediately at his shoulder upon hitting the floor.
Randle would have needed to attempt the free throws if he wanted to remain eligible to sub back into the game.
Instead, he grabbed at the shoulder and slumped off the court immediately so medical professionals could get a look.
Jericho Sims hit 1 of 2 as his replacement.
Thibodeau did not have an immediate update afterward on Randle’s condition, though ESPN reported he suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Speaking on ESPN, long-suffering Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith was in disbelief that Randle had been still in the game with a 17-point lead.
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“If he’s not OK, you’re going to see an entirely different Stephen A. on the air,” he said.
“Somebody that’s going to be incredibly depressed and mortified at the idea of the New York Knicks continuing this season without him. I don’t even want to think about it. Didn’t we just say before he got injured that the New York Knicks have looked better than they have in years? This just can’t be happening.”
If the bulldozing forward has to miss time, OG Anunoby would be the leading candidate to slide into his spot.
“He’s a guy that plays through things and that’s what you love about him,” Thibodeau said of Randle, who finished with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
“He’s a warrior. Anytime someone walks back [to the locker room], you know it’s something.”
— with New York Post
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