The Nuggets defeated Philadelphia 144-109, with a current record of 27 wins and 16 losses. The Nuggets are fourth in the West, but only one win behind the third-place Grizzlies. They are also only 1.5 wins behind the second-place Rockets. It is very likely that the Nuggets will overtake them for second place, although surpassing the Thunder is unrealistic. There isn't much to say about this game; it was initially expected that Embiid would return to play against the Nuggets, but he didn't dare to participate as long as it was a Denver game.
Currently, Embiid has won more matchups against Jokic, but most of these victories were at home in Philadelphia. After the game, Sean Keeler from the Denver Post wrote that Embiid and Jokic can no longer be compared. Now, the real competition is between Jokic and Wembanyama. Since Embiid cannot even play, he is not worthy of being compared to his teacher. In 2023, Embiid relied on Harden's help to win the MVP because there was fatigue with Jokic's consecutive MVPs.
At that time, Jokic had won two consecutive MVPs, and it was indeed difficult to achieve a third. Adding to that, Embiid only managed to win with a 68-game attendance rate. However, the gap between these two centers from the East and West has been growing ever since. When Jokic hadn't won a championship, Embiid once said during his MVP season that Jokic hadn't won a championship either, so he felt no pressure. But then Jokic easily won the championship in 2023, while Embiid fell in the semi-finals to the Celtics, with Harden trying his best.
There isn't much to say about today's game. Philadelphia has a record of 15 wins and 27 losses, currently ranked 11th in the East and suffering a seven-game losing streak, with their playoff spot uncertain. The Nuggets played casually throughout the game, as if they could clock out at any moment. Westbrook, starting increasingly freely, scored 11 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and made 9 assists today. Jokic had a triple-double with 27 points, 10 assists, and 13 rebounds. Then, Struthers scored 23 points, Braun 20 points, Gordon 19 points, Porter 19 points, and Murray 9 points with 7 assists and 6 rebounds, making the entire Philadelphia team play like soldiers. On the other hand, George from Philadelphia only scored 11 points with 9 assists, while Maxey scored an empty 28 points.
Philadelphia really lost out by acquiring George, originally hoping he would help Embiid carry the load, such as leading the team to maintain their regular-season record in Embiid's absence, learning from Harden. However, George's performance has declined to such an extent. Embiid is now constantly ridiculed, and even Malone couldn't help but take a dig at him after evaluating Jokic post-game. When asked by a reporter what he thought about Embiid not playing today, Malone didn't mention Embiid directly, but every word pointed to him.
Malone said, "I often tell my players that the standard for measuring a player is not wins, losses, or statistics, but attendance. What I mean is that being able to play is really important for a player. Compared to him [Embiid], I think Jokic is better. Over the past ten years, you've seen how many games Jokic has played. Let me put it this way: if Jokic doesn't play due to illness, it must be because he's too sick to move. If he has an elbow injury, it must be severe enough that he can't bend it or shoot, to that extent."
Jokic has played 9.5 seasons so far, with this season counting as half, and has played 712 regular-season games with an attendance rate of 91.2%. As a center with super endurance, he is also a ball-handling core who is willing to make his teammates better and plays selflessly. This is why Westbrook can shine so brightly with the Nuggets; it all comes from Jokic's performance. As the Nuggets' journalist said, Jokic was the key figure supporting the management's decision to bring in Westbrook. He has the confidence to use Westbrook well, and the fact is that Jokic has succeeded.