Is Joel Embiid dodging Nikola Jokic in Denver on purpose? It is a question worth asking. It is now the fourth season in a row that Embiid has missed playing in Denver. All four of those seasons have had Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid right in the midst of the MVP race, yet we have only seen them face off in Philadelphia. Embiid has only played in Denver one singular time since Donald Trump entered office in January of 2017. We will have to wait yet another season to see the two big men face off, unless the two teams meet in June.
On Saturday, the Nuggets squeaked out with a 111-105 win over the 76ers. Nikola Jokic carried the load with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists. Jamal Murray added 20 first-half points, finishing with 23 on a season-high six threes. Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and eight rebounds. Aaron Gordon also played solid with 18 points and a couple of threes.
Nuggets Positives
Although the 76ers were quite depleted, the Nuggets added another home win over a well-coached team. They played poorly, but still well enough to pull out the win. Their resilience in games that would’ve easily been trap games a few years ago have allowed them to be third in the west so far this season. These games were the exact ones they heavily struggled with even as recently as last year. They were able to extend their home record to 18-4 at home.
Peyton Watson continues to be a spark plug off the bench, especially defensively. His 41 blocks this season are tied for first on the team with Jokic despite him playing 500 minutes less. His block percentage of 4.4 is the highest of any non-center in the whole NBA. He’s also playing lockdown perimeter defense on just about anybody he matches up with.
The Nuggets also did a great job of taking care of the ball in the game as they’ve done throughout the season. They only had seven turnovers and are only averaging 12.7 per game this year, good for sixth in the league.
Nuggets Negatives
The Nuggets had a lot more negatives today than positives. They let off the gas a bit during this game, allowing the Sixers to stay in this game for most of the way. The 76ers shot 53% from the field during the game despite only shooting 27.3% from three. Paul Reed was also cooking Jokic as he added a game-high 30 points on 14-21 shooting. They gave up 60 points in the paint, allowing way too many shots close to the rim, much of that damage done by Reed.
The Nuggets were horrendous from the free-throw line. They shot a disgusting 24-38 from the line in Saturday’s matchup, only 63.2%. It’s been a huge issue for the Nuggets all season. They rank 28th in free throw percentage. It felt like whenever they went to the line, there was a lid on the basket.
The Nuggets’ bench has been a problem and remains one. Outside of Watson, the production the bench has provided recently has been next to none. Since his last game starting, Reggie Jackson is only averaging 40% from the field and 30% from three. Despite his good on-court leadership, he has been wildly inconsistent. Christian Braun has also been in a massive sophomore slump. In his last eight games, he has shot 50% or better in only one of those games. His defense hasn’t been as consistent as it was in his rookie year. The Nuggets need him to lock in if they want to have a similar playoff run as last season.
The Nuggets play their next game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, which will be Doc Rivers debut as the Bucks’ head coach.
