By: Kylan Watson

Fresh off their victory yesterday afternoon over the Houston Rockets, the Philadelphia 76ers renewed the Battle of MVPS’ and a potential 2024 NBA Finals preview with the Denver Nuggets. Both teams traded blows throughout this contest despite playing yesterday. The Sixers were able to outscore and outexecute Denver in the fourth quarter thanks to a 10-point explosion from Joel Embiid in that period and a 10-assist performance to push Philly over Denver 126-121.

The game began at a blistering pace with both teams trading baskets and having unique defensive line-ups to match-up with each team’s dominant big man. These teams played so much zone defense in this game that it felt like Jim Boeheim was coaching each squad. The Nuggets took full advantage of Joel Embiid being out of position to grab 16 offensive rebounds which turned into points. Giving an explosive offense like Denver’s multiple chances to score was one of the biggest factors in why Denver was able to stay in this contest and lead throughout it. The trio of Jokic (25-points and grabbed 19-rebounds), Michael Porter Jr. (20-points) and Jamal Murray (17-points) combined for 62 of Denver’s 121-points. Jokic specifically was taking full advantage of the Sixers inability to grab a defensive rebound. He grabbed 11 out of his 19 rebounds on the offensive end. Once he grabbed the board, he rose back up to either lay the ball up or shoot a jump shot that found the bottom of the net. Despite him having multiple opportunities to score and rebound tonight, Philly was able to limit his ability to get an assist tonight as his passes were either stolen or deflected tonight. The Sixers also made sure that every shooter for the Nuggets saw hands in their face and forced them to either pass the ball or take a difficult shot. That strategy paid off for them as it kept the Nuggets within striking distance for them to steal this game from them.

Despite being outrebounded and outscored throughout the majority of this contest Philly’s trio of Joel Embiid (41-points, compiled 10-assists, and had seven-rebounds), Tyrese Maxey (25-points, had nine-assists, and hit four/nine three-pointers in the contest), and Tobias Harris (24-points) refused to let their team go down on their home-floor. They combined for 85 of the Sixers’ 126-points, Embiid in particular scored 10 of his 41-points in the fourth quarter which he made his period and took over the game. His scoring and two-way ability played a huge role in pushing Philly over Denver in this contest. Nick Nurse finally got out of the zone defensive scheme and let his players play the Nuggets straight-up and that proved to be a big decision. Philly began swarming Jokic and his teammates and that forced Denver into some back breaking turnovers and a shot-clock violation. Those miscues gave Philly the additional offensive opportunities they needed to win this game and make another statement that they will be a force to be reckoned with come the postseason. If Embiid is scoring the ball and passing it like he was tonight, there will not be many teams that can beat them on any given night. Combine that with Harris and Maxey both finding their offensive prowess at the same time and that is a nightmare for opposing defenses.

On what the team can improve on after their statement victory, “I don’t even think this was our best game. We had a few lapses. We’ve got a long way to go,” said Embiid.

The Sixers will now prepare to face the surging Orlando Magic on Friday Night, yet another team with young and athletic players. It will be important for the Sixers to play aggressive defense once again to force them into turnovers and make them uncomfortable on the offensive end. Additionally, the Sixers will need to keep the ball moving like they did tonight to create high percentage opportunities. Their offense is at its best when the ball is moving, and Philly is able to maximize their offensive possessions. This style of play gets everybody involved on offense and good things happen.  For example, in tonight’s game they were able to find their three-point stroke making 15/31 three-pointers. If they can implement these things, they can get their 27^th victory of the season over Orlando on Friday.