By james art 
Joel Embiid usually beats Nikola Jokic in Denver, that seems to be the general sentiment among NBA fans. He also missed the Nuggets’ last game at the Ball Arena, where his team lost by 35 points. While most fans are furious with Embiid for missing the iconic game, Gilbert Arenas seems to be more relaxed with his actions.
Arenas said there’s no doubt Embiid misses the Nuggets star in the latter’s hometown. He even drove the point home with some patting gestures. However, Arena claims that’s fine because the 76ers superstar has the upper hand in head-to-head matchups.
Embiid has won six of the eight games he has played against the Serbian superstar. But this record is clearly skewed in the Cameroonian’s favor because he only plays home games against Jokic.
arena said – You tap it there [in Denver] But you blow it ** when you play. He spins his ** when they actually match, he just doesn’t match in his hometown. “
Embiid has the edge over Jokic in their individual performances against each other. In eight games, he is averaging 27.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2 blocks on 47.3 percent shooting.
The Joker, on the other hand, has only managed 22.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.1 steals and blocks while shooting over 51% per game. Despite being arguably the most dominant player in the league over the past five years, Jokic has not been able to dominate Embiid.
However, we must keep in mind that the last time the Philly Center played at the Ball Arena was in November 2019.
Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have a mutual respect for each other
Despite being perceived as fierce rivals around the league, Embiid and Jokic have a lot of mutual respect for each other. When The Joker was informed that the 76ers star would be unable to play in his recent game due to injury, he said, “My wish is that he recovers very well because he is missing a lot of games this year.”
“I think he’s a great athlete and I think he’s a great basketball player. … It’s a joy to watch him play, with a dominant, “” Jokic added.
After their game in Philadelphia last January, Embiid told Jokic that “He’s the best player in the league.” Despite winning the game 126-121, he had no problem admitting that the Serbian was the better player.
The reason fans are always primed to witness their matchups is because they are the two most revered big men in the league. They are not letting anyone else take the 2021 MVP trophy, showing their dominance. But the injury-prone Embiid is a relatively weaker player when looking at their respective totals.