On January 22nd, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with a match between the Western Conference powerhouse Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Nuggets' home court. Prior to this game, the Nuggets had a record of 26 wins and 16 losses, ranking fourth in the West, leading the fifth-place Clippers by two games. The 76ers, on the other hand, had a record of 15 wins and 26 losses, ranking eleventh in the East, and had already suffered six consecutive losses, causing morale to plummet within the team.
Starting with the 76ers, although they have a formidable trio of Embiid, George, and Maxi on paper this season, Embiid has become plagued by injuries, from knee issues to sinus fractures, ankle sprains to recurring knee inflammations. He has only managed to play 13 games this season. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Embiid has missed the matchup against Jokic in Denver! Additionally, according to reports, Embiid is expected to be out for at least another week before being re-evaluated.
Embiid's decline due to injuries has been a direct downward spiral, while George has become an unspoken pain for the 76ers' management. Despite a four-year, $212 million contract, George has averaged just 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists this season, with his offensive stats ranking among the lowest in the league. Not only are Philadelphia media and fans disappointed with George's performance, but even his teammates share this sentiment. However, this is only the first year of George's supermax contract, and according to salary experts, his trade value is lower than that of Beal, who holds a trade veto power. The 76ers seem to have made a costly mistake! Initially, the 76ers' management believed that making the playoffs would not be a problem, but in reality, they are 2.5 games behind the tenth-placed Bulls and 6.5 games behind the sixth-placed Hawks. While other teams are moving up, the 76ers are experiencing a cliff-like decline.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets have quickly returned to form since Jokic's outburst, more accurately since Westbrook solidified his starting position after Christmas. Murray's responsibilities have been lightened, focusing solely on finishing plays, and even if he misses shots, there are Westbrook and Jokic to back him up. Moreover, the Nuggets are no longer considering trading Porter, as their interest in LaVine has waned. Nagy's contract remains untouched by any team in the league. To make a deep playoff run, the Nuggets must strengthen their bench with immediate contributors.
Returning to the game, the Nuggets' starting lineup was Murray, Westbrook, Bryn, Porter, and Jokic; while the 76ers started with Maxi, Gordon, Oubre, George, and Drummond. In the opening quarter, Maxi and Gordon scored both inside and outside, while Jokic and Westbrook drew fouls, Porter made a putback, Bryn dominated George, and Westbrook fed Jokic.
After the Nuggets quickly opened up a lead, the 76ers relied on Gordon and Maxi to close the gap by five points. Westbrook then hit a transition three-pointer, forcing a timeout from the 76ers. Midway through the quarter, Jokic assisted his teammates, Westbrook fed Jokic, and George struggled to defend against Bryn, although Maxi had a good shooting touch. Later in the quarter, Gordon and George traded three-pointers, Gordon made an alley-oop dunk, and Westbrook continued to feed Bryn. At the end of the quarter, Jokic also added a three-pointer, giving the Nuggets a 35-27 lead over the 76ers.
In the second quarter, Gordon continued to draw fouls, complemented by Struthers' three-pointer, quickly extending the lead to double digits. After Watson's three-pointer forced a timeout from the 76ers, Drummond and Adebayle led the scoring charge, and Maxi scored both inside and outside, allowing the 76ers to close the gap to just five points. In a crucial moment, Struthers continued his outside shooting spree, teaming up with Porter to widen the gap.
Bryn targeted George, and Maxi and Gordon responded with a barrage of three-pointers. In the latter half of the quarter, Jokic drew fouls and made a layup off the glass, while Porter also attacked George, and the 76ers relied on Edwards and Adebayle's three-pointers to keep the score close. Both teams lacked defense, ending the half with a score of 77-67. Maxi scored 19 points in the first half, Jokic had 18, and George became the biggest defensive vulnerability for the 76ers, with every opponent managing to score at least two points against him.
In the third quarter, Maxi continued his individual play, Bryn soared over George for a dunk, Jokic received an easy basket, and Porter followed with a three-pointer, quickly extending the lead to 15 points. Westbrook then made a layup in transition, forcing another timeout from the 76ers. After the timeout, Oubre and Adebayle took turns scoring, while Bryn and Jokic grabbed rebounds for second-chance points, exposing the 76ers' poor defense.
Midway through the quarter, Murray assisted Westbrook for an easy basket, Westbrook made a beautiful pass to Porter for a dunk, and then stole the ball for an uncontested layup, giving the Nuggets a 20-point lead. Maxi and Gordon traded three-pointers, Bryn received an easy basket, and Jokic hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Jokic achieved a triple-double, his fourth consecutive game with the feat, and after three quarters, the Nuggets led the 76ers 117-94, rendering the fourth quarter garbage time. Ultimately, the Nuggets defeated the 76ers 144-109, marking the 76ers' seventh consecutive loss.
For the 76ers, Maxi scored 28 points and 10 assists, George had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists, Adebayle contributed 22 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Gordon had 9 points and 3 assists. For the Nuggets, Westbrook scored 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists, Murray had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, Jokic recorded 27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals, Bryn added 20 points and 2 rebounds, Porter scored 19 points and 6 rebounds, Struthers had 23 points and 3 rebounds, and Gordon contributed 19 points. Including this game, Jokic's career triple-double ratio has reached 20.8%, ranking first in NBA history! Westbrook's career triple-double ratio stands at 16.8%, ranking fourth in NBA history, while Doncic's 18.9% ranks second in NBA history.