The NBA’s third installment of Rivalry Week started with a dud in Denver.
“What do you mean, Rivalry Week?” Nuggets coach Michael Malone wondered prior to the Nuggets’ 144-109 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday at Ball Arena.
“Is that what this is?”
That was the NBA’s intent, but the association once again paired the winners of the last two Most Valuable Player awards – Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. The problem was Embiid missed another game in Denver due to knee injury management. The last time Embiid played in Denver was 2019.
“I’ve only been here for one game so far where they’ve played against each other. It was a hell of a game, right? Sadly, we’re not going to have it again tonight,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said pregame.
“All of us – fans, me, you – love to see the big rivalries and two great players go at it like this, for sure. So, it’s disappointing.”
The way the Nuggets’ coach sees it, the modern NBA isn’t made for healthy rivalries. That wasn’t the case when his father, Brendan, spent 30 years from 1986 to 2016 coaching in the NBA. There was a healthy hatred between his father’s Knicks teams and the Heat or Pacers or the Pistons and Bulls when there was less player movement, the Nuggets’ coach said.
“It’s so hard, because the landscape of the NBA has changed. Players change so often. Teams change so often. The dynamics of the Western Conference change,” Malone said.
“It is what it is. That’s just the current state of affairs in pro sports in general.”
That player movement was highlighted during the game’s first timeout. Former Nuggets guard and Palmer High School product Reggie Jackson received a warm welcome when a video celebrating his two years in Denver was played on the videoboard during the game’s first timeout.
The only sign of animosity was a “Where’s Embiid at?” chant that briefly broke out once in the first half and again in the final minutes.
Without Embiid, the Nuggets led by as many as 15 in the first half and cruised after halftime. Nikola Jokic went to work against Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabulsele and finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and a block in three quarters of work, while Julian Strawther added 23 points, making 5 of 9 attempts from 3-point range off the bench. Christian Braun (20), Michael Porter Jr. (19), Aaron Gordon (19) and Russell Westbrook (11) also scored in double figures for Denver.
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 28 points and 10 assists. The Nuggets held Paul George to 11 points on as many shots.
The Nuggets play a second nationally televised game as part of Rivalry Week on Saturday in Minnesota. The Timberwolves and Nuggets have met in each of the last two postseasons and have shared plenty of personnel recently. Still, it comes up short of Malone’s definition.
“Would I call that a rivalry?” Malone said. “I don’t know if I’m there yet.”
NUGGETS 144, 76ers 109
What happened: Denver led by eight after the first quarter and owned a 77-67 advantage at halftime. It was a 23-point game after three quarters. Denver improved to 27-16 and 8-2 in its last 10 games.
What went right: Denver’s offense was firing on almost all cylinders in the first half. The Nuggets shot 64.1% from the field, including a 9-for-16 mark from 3-point range and made all 18 of their free throws in the first half.
What went wrong: Guerschon Yabusele scored 22 points on 13 shots off Philadelphia’s bench. He made 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range. The 76ers still lost Yabusele’s 24 minutes of playing time by five points.
Highlight of the night: Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon aren’t playing as many minutes together while Gordon works his way back from a calf strain, but the chemistry is still there. Jokic tossed a no-look lob up to Gordon, who finished with a two-handed dunk late in the third quarter. It completed Jokic’s triple-double and gave Denver a 23-point lead.
Up next: The Nuggets stay in Denver for Thursday’s game against the Kings at Ball Arena.
