Joel Embiid was highly praised by Nikola Jokic despite the botched matchmaking

DENVER — Nikola Jokic was unable to take on Joel Embiid in a highly anticipated duel with MVP fallout Monday night.

With Embiid sidelined with a right calf injury, Jokic made his 29th triple-double of the season to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 116-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Ball Arena.

The Sixers sat out both Embiid and James Harden (a sore left Achilles) as Jokic compiled 25 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. Then, two-time tournament MVP Jokic gave nothing but high praise to the Sixers star looking to win his own MVP title.

“I think he’s a great player,” Jokic said of Embiid. “I think he will be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league. The guy is a beast, and he’s so talented.

“He can influence [the game] Several ways on Earth. He can post, he can face, and he can fire 3 seconds. He can defend really well. He can, in some situations, guard 1 to 5. So he’s a really good player.”

Monday’s contest was supposed to be the final regular season showdown between two major MVP candidates, and it’s a chance for Jokic and Embiid to make a strong case for voters.

For Jokic, this was set to be his second straight matchup against another MVP candidate. On Saturday, Jokic took on Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokunmo and helped the Nuggets beat the Bucks 129-106. Jokic had 31 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds, while Player of the Year nominee Brook Lopez was on defense.

Then, on Monday morning, the Sixers decided to keep Embiid to give his right leg some rest amidst their busy schedule.

In their only other regular season matchup, Embiid exploded with 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in a 126-119 win over the Nuggets on January 28 in Philadelphia. Jokic scored 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

The MVP debate has been a hot topic this season, as Embiid led the league in scoring with 33.3 points per game and grabbing 10.2 rebounds per game. He recently went into a scoring rip, beginning March with ten consecutive 30-point games, the first center to do so since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001.

Meanwhile, the Western Conference-leading Nuggets hit a rough patch in early March, losing four straight games and five of six. But they have won four in a row since then.

Jokic is looking to become the fourth player to win three consecutive MVP awards, joining Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.

The Denver big man hit five triple-doubles this month and the 105th of his career, one shy of tying LeBron James for fifth in NBA history.

When asked about the rhetoric surrounding the MVP run, Sixers coach Doc Rivers said that people should appreciate Embiid and Jokic.

“It’s like we can’t celebrate people,” Rivers said before the game. “The league is in a great place. He’s in a great place. You have Joel Embiid and Joker, two centers, in a non-midfield league, who dominate the league. You have Giannis, and I always put him as whatever, because we don’t know what [position] Giannis, but he’s one of the best players in the league. Jason Tatum plays incredibly well. Kevin Durant, if he’s not hurt. You can just keep going.

“You can love them all, and you can’t actually love one because you love the other. But you don’t have to hate anyone. I think we just need to go back to judgment whatever your flavor is, and I don’t think you have to hate the other for sure.”