It’s Rivals Week, Nuggets fans! Feel the rivalry coursing through your veins!

Yeah, so this one was a dud. The NBA has been playing on the Nikola Jokic vs Joel Embiid rivalry for a long time. Almost every single season, these two match up once a year in Philadelphia, and Embiid often gets the better of the matchup. Nuggets fans have wanted to see the Nuggets exact some revenge in Ball Arena, but for the fifth straight season, Embiid will miss the game in Denver.

It’s unfortunate. I don’t subscribe to the narrative that Embiid is ducking Jokic in Denver, though I do laugh if the joke is actually funny. It’s become less funny the longer this rivalry has played out, and at this point, I just feel bad for Embiid and Sixers fans. Nobody should have to go through the relentless number of injuries he’s had to go through. There are tangible reasons to criticize the superstar big man, but it’s clear that his career is getting short by injuries, and that sucks. Plain and simple.

Time goes on, and both teams still have to play. There’s not a rivalry here, but it will be another good test for the Nuggets to maintain their consistency as a squad. The Sixers are injured up and down their roster and have lost six games in a row. Can the Nuggets stay focused anyway?

Let’s delve back into the Philadelphia 76ers matchup:

Denver Nuggets @ Philadelphia 76ers

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic

Philadelphia: Tyrese Maxey, Eric Gordon, Kelly Oubre, Paul George, Andre Drummond

Key Bench Players

Denver: Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Aaron Gordon, DeAndre Jordan

Philadelphia: Jeff Dowtin, Ricky Council IV, Justin Edwards, Adem Bona

Notable Injuries

Denver: Jamal Murray – PROBABLE, Peyton Watson – PROBABLE, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

Philadelphia: Joel Embiid – OUT, Paul George – QUESTIONABLE, Jared McCain – OUT, Caleb Martin – OUT, Kyle Lowry – OUT, Andre Drummond – QUESTIONABLE, Guerschon Yabusele – QUESTIONABLE, KJ Martin – OUT

Key for the Nuggets – Don’t let Tyrese Maxey get others involved

The Sixers have had to rely on young star guard Tyrese Maxey try and shoulder the burden for the franchise this season. He’s played in 34 of their 41 games, and the Sixers are 14-20. Maxey’s averaged 26.4 points and 5.8 assists per game, and though his efficiency is down this season, he can put up points and produce in a hurry.

Maxey has the ball in his hands so often that he gets up a lot of shots. When Maxey attempts at least 20 shots, the Sixers are 8-12. His shot attempts don’t have a strong bearing on Philly’s success.

When Maxey only logs four assists or fewer, the Sixers are 3-9. That’s the key for Denver to me. Prevent others like Paul George (if he plays) and Kelly Oubre involved as scorers. George can also operate as a playmaker, so this operates in reverse. Force each of those two to take 20 shots off the dribble and live with the results.

Important Matchup – Nikola Jokic vs Andre Drummond/Adem Bona

Andre Drummond is also questionable, so it’s very possible that the Nuggets won’t just be facing a Sixers team without Embiid but also Drummond. If Drummond plays, Jokic and the Nuggets are very familiar with his game and understand the impact he makes as a pickpocket defensively and on the glass. Jokic and others will have to be careful around him. Drummond averages over three offensive rebounds and nearly two steals per game as a starter.

If it’s Adem Bona, the rookie big man will look to be a high energy option vs Jokic, who will absolutely let Bona collect a lob or two behind him at times. For Jokic, it’s about limiting those opportunities and punishing the inexperience on the other end. Look for Jokic to try and outmaneuver Bona at times and use a variety of fakes tonight.

Number of the Day – 24

That’s Denver’s rank among NBA defenses at turnover rate on Cleaning the Glass. Denver forces a turnover on just 13.6% of opponent possessions so far this season, the seventh fewest in the league.

There’s been a lot of discussion about Denver’s defense and why they haven’t been as good this season. You be the judge. Here are Denver’s rankings in each of the Four Factors from the 2023-24 vs the 2024-25 season so far:

  • Effective Field Goal % – 3rd in 2023-24, 10th in 2024-25
  • Turnover Rate – 26th in 2023-24, 24th in 2024-25
  • Defensive Rebounding – 13th in 2023-24, 19th in 2024-25
  • Free Throw Rate – 18th in 2023-24, 6th in 2024-25

(On an aside, pretty impressive to see Denver was third in eFG% allowed last season)

So, the Nuggets have given up a higher eFG% and DREB% comparatively, and their free throw rate has improved to balance it out a bit. The problem for Denver remains that they don’t force enough turnovers. The Nuggets are a very positional team with positional size. They try to avoid fouling and force a missed shot rather than proactively going for steals, drawing offensive fouls, etc.

Could the Nuggets benefit from adding another active defender that goes for steals and draws screening fouls? Someone who’s a pest of a defender in the mold of a Luguentz Dort or Alex Caruso? Probably. Russell Westbrook has done a pretty solid impression of those guys, but he’s in his 17th season. They need another guy.

Nugget who should have a good game: Jamal Murray

There aren’t a lot of guards on the Sixers that excel as screen navigators and applying ball pressure. The Sixers allow the second highest eFG% to opponents in non-garbage time, so I’d expect a shootout of sorts. Murray will have plenty of opportunities, and with the Sixers likely sending help to cover Nikola Jokic, it could be Murray who benefits.