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Nikola Jokic recorded his 29th triple double of the season as the Denver Nuggets beat the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers 116-111, in a game Joel Embiid sat out with a sore right calf.
With Embiid in the locker room, Jokic scored 25 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and dished out 12 assists.
The meeting of two leading MVP candidates wasn't the race that was on Doc Rivers' mind.
“It was not a hard decision for us," the 76ers coach said of holding out Embiid, who complained of discomfort at the team's morning shootaround after playing both ends of a back-to-back on the road over the weekend.
Rivers said he didn't know if Embiid's injury would linger, but he noted that calf injuries are notoriously slow to heal and can lead to more serious leg injuries.
"Everybody wants to see these two guys play against each other,” Rivers said, “we’re just going to take it slow and be smart. We want to get him and the whole team healthy for the playoffs.”
The Sixers, who also were without James Harden (Achilles) for a fourth consecutive game, matched their season high with their third consecutive loss.
Tyrese Maxey scored 23 of his 29 points in the first half, helping keep the 76ers close. They trailed 61-57 at the half and fell behind by as many as 22 before a late push brought them to 114-111 on Montrezl Harrell's dunk with 29 seconds remaining.
https://www.skysports.com/nba/live-...ggets-to-victory?postid=5698593#liveblog-body
With Embiid in the locker room, Jokic scored 25 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and dished out 12 assists.
The meeting of two leading MVP candidates wasn't the race that was on Doc Rivers' mind.
“It was not a hard decision for us," the 76ers coach said of holding out Embiid, who complained of discomfort at the team's morning shootaround after playing both ends of a back-to-back on the road over the weekend.
Rivers said he didn't know if Embiid's injury would linger, but he noted that calf injuries are notoriously slow to heal and can lead to more serious leg injuries.
"Everybody wants to see these two guys play against each other,” Rivers said, “we’re just going to take it slow and be smart. We want to get him and the whole team healthy for the playoffs.”
The Sixers, who also were without James Harden (Achilles) for a fourth consecutive game, matched their season high with their third consecutive loss.
Tyrese Maxey scored 23 of his 29 points in the first half, helping keep the 76ers close. They trailed 61-57 at the half and fell behind by as many as 22 before a late push brought them to 114-111 on Montrezl Harrell's dunk with 29 seconds remaining.
https://www.skysports.com/nba/live-...ggets-to-victory?postid=5698593#liveblog-body