3 observations after Embiid (34 points), Sixers lose to Jokic’s Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Monday night’s duel between two MVP contenders lived up the hype, but it didn’t pan out as the Sixers envisioned.
Joel Embiid’s Sixers fell to a 114-110 loss to Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets at Wells Fargo Center.
Embiid had 34 points and nine rebounds, while Jokic posted 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
James Harden notched 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Matisse Thybulle tied his career high with six steals.
The Sixers will play the Cavs on Wednesday night in Cleveland. Here are observations on their loss to Denver:
Long-awaited matchup an entertaining one
Unsurprisingly, Embiid was attacked-minded from the opening tip in his first game against Jokic since December of 2019.
On the Sixers’ second possession, he beat Jokic with a pump fake followed by a driving dunk. The next time down, he made a three-pointer off of a pick-and-pop with Tyrese Maxey. Embiid…