We all witnessed one of the tightest MVP races in recent history last season when Joel Embiid beat out Nikola Jokic for the crown. The battle went down the wire, with Embiid needing nearly every game of the regular season to dethrone Jokic and prevent him from claiming his third straight MVP title.
When the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Denver Nuggets last season, it was Embiid who stole the show with a massive 47-point, 18-rebound double-double as he led the Sixers to a 126-119 victory over Denver. Unfortunately, Embiid was out injured in their rematch in Denver toward the latter part of the regular season, right when the race for the MVP title was at its peak.
Ex-Bucks Star Richard Jefferson Calls Out Joel Embiid
Apparently, the last time Joel Embiid played in Denver to face off against Nikola Jokic was in December 2019. This has prompted some suspicion on the end of former Milwaukee Bucks star Richard Jefferson. According to RJ, it appears that Embiid is trying to avoid a matchup against Jokic in the Mile-High City:
“Joel, I do not think that you are ducking Jokic… But from this point on I will be saying that you are ducking Jokic until you guys play,” Jefferson said.
“Joel, I do not think that you are ducking Jokic… But from this point on I will be saying that you are ducking Jokic until you guys play.”
Richard Jefferson diagnoses Joel Embiid with the “Serbian Flu” and says he’s ducking Nikola Jokic 🤣pic.twitter.com/UrLEuxRLA5
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 17, 2023
That’s savage. Especially after it was Embiid who emerged as the 2022-23 MVP over Jokic. Either way, Richard Jefferson is still implying that the Sixers big man is afraid of Jokic.
Embiid will get one chance to silence Jefferson and all his naysayers this season when the Sixers head to Denver on January 28th. This will be the second and final matchup between these two sides in 2023-24 after Philly hosts Jokic and Co. on January 17th. Let’s just hope Joel Embiid doesn’t suffer some sort of injury for either of those highly-anticipated matchups.
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