Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid out-duelled two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic on Sunday, pouring in 47 points to lead the 76ers to a 126-119 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Embiid, who finished runner-up to Jokic in MVP voting the past two seasons, also grabbed 18 rebounds to help the Sixers erase a 15-point halftime deficit on the way to a seventh straight victory.
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Embiid, who also missed out on selection as an All-Star Game starter this week, insisted the clash wasn’t about a personal rivalry with Jokic, but about the 76ers testing themselves against the Western Conference’s top team.
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“It’s not a rivalry,” he told broadcaster ABC.
“I love the…
