Tim Bontemps, ESPN
DENVER – Philadelphia 76ers big name heart Joel Embiid was once a overdue scratch from Saturday afternoon’s nationally televised showdown with Denver Nuggets big name and MVP challenger Nikola Jokic because of left knee soreness.
Later going via his conventional pregame exercise forward of the sport, the staff’s clinical workforce didn’t like how the NBA’s reigning MVP was once shifting round, and selected to close him i’m sick for the sport, a league supply informed ESPN. Embiid was once carrying a massive wrap on his knee within the store room ahead of Saturday’s competition.
Embiid ignored 3 video games previous this occasion with the similar factor and looked as if it would tweak the knee once more in Thursday’s highway loss to the Indiana Pacers. He wasn’t, then again, indexed at the shock file Saturday.
This marks the fourth directly occasion Embiid has ignored taking part in in opposition to Jokic right here in Denver, relationship again to the 2 of them starting their annual fight for the league’s manage person honor within the 2020-21 season.
Embiid ignored the sport in a March 2021 competition because of a meniscus shock, a November 2021 competition because of COVID-19 and after closing March sat out with a calf factor.
Embiid’s fibre of ignored video games in Denver has been a constant storyline over the occasion couple of years, together with when he ignored the assembly between those two groups right here closing occasion overdue within the usual season on the top of the talk over who will have to win MVP. Sooner or later, it was once Embiid who received his first, beating out Jokic, who was once going for a 3rd directly.
In the meantime, lovers in Denver began a noisy “Where’s Embiid at?” chant halfway during the first quarter upcoming Denver raced out to an early supremacy.
Along with Embiid, each Tyrese Maxey (ankle) and Tobias Harris (condition) ignored Saturday’s competition, that means Philadelphia was once with out its 3 prominent scorers. A fourth starter, De’Anthony Melton, is in the course of a multi-week absence with a again shock and likewise didn’t play games.
Philadelphia was once scheduled to fly Saturday night time from Denver to Portland, the place it continues a five-game highway shuttle Monday in opposition to the Path Blazers. The 76ers after play games the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday and the Utah Jazz on Thursday to spherical out the shuttle.
