The reigning MVP has missed yet another game. Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid was set to face the Denver Nuggets on Saturday but was ruled out ahead of tip-off despite not being listed on the injury report. He has not faced the reigning NBA champions on the road since 2019. Embiid was slated to face Nuggets' star Nikola Jokic as part of NBA's Rivals Week -- a series of matchups league-wide dedicated to player and team rivalries.
Denver's fans started a chant about his absence early in the first quarter of the matchup:
“Where’s Embiid at?” chant breaks out at Ball Arena. pic.twitter.com/NazzaFkkNv
— Mike Singer (@msinger) January 27, 2024
Embiid dominated in his first meeting with the Nuggets this season as he posted 41 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a win. He's 6-2 all-time against Nikola Jokic, but six of those games took place in Philadelphia. It's been several seasons since Embiid took the floor of Denver's Ball Arena, home of the Nuggets.
Embiid is averaging a career-high 36.0 points per game and is a favorite to repeat as MVP, but he might not play enough games to be eligible for the hardware this year. Knee soreness has bothered him throughout the campaign and he's now missed 11 games on the year. The NBA now requires players to appear in at least 65 games to qualify for MVP and All-NBA status. For a game to count, a player must have registered at least 20 minutes.
Embiid will have to have to have a healthy back half of 2023-24 to receive MVP consideration along with All-NBA status . His next chance to suit up will come against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
