On the 16th of January, Joel Embiid was sidelined for three games due to an enlarged left knee, but he returned to action on Monday looking as powerful as ever.

In the game that the Philadelphia 76ers hosted, they defeated the Houston Rockets by a score of 124-115. Embiid contributed 41 points and 10 rebounds. If the big man were to continue to be in the lineup, the Sixers would be playing the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. This would be a back-to-back for him if he were to continue playing.

Embiid, who has been sidelined for ten games this season, managed to make his return and record his seventeenth consecutive game with at least thirty points and his sixteenth consecutive game with double-digit rebounds. Through the course of this season, he has now scored forty points for the seventh time.

“I was just trying to get back into it slowly and let the game come to me,” Embiid said in an interview that aired after the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

In the 31 minutes that he played, Embiid achieved a field goal percentage of 12 out of 21 and a free throw percentage of 16 out of 17.

It was before the most recent injury that he made the statement, “I’m not quite where I was,” referring to how he was performing beforehand.

In a rematch between the teams that have won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in the past three seasons (Embiid in 2022-23, Jokic in 2020-21, and 2021-22), Sixers coach Nick Nurse stated after the game that he anticipated Marcus Embiid to be in the lineup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Tyrese Maxey of Philadelphia provided 25 points and seven assists, and Patrick Beverley contributed 11 points and six assists. Both players were from Philadelphia.

Nurse was delighted with the way that Beverley was able to stabilize the squad, despite the fact that the Rockets made a late drive.

According to Nurse, “He loves and plays with such a great deal of passion.” “If it’s in your heart all the time, good things are gonna happen.”

As a result of the absence of Robert Covington (knee), Mo Bamba (knee), and De’Anthony Melton (back), the Sixers are expected to come up short in terms of personnel once again.

As they begin their five-game road trip in Philadelphia, the Nuggets will be looking to win their third game in a row while they are away from home.

Jokic’s outstanding effort in all aspects of the game was a significant factor in Denver’s victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, which they achieved by a score of 117-109. In addition to his 25 points, he also had 12 rebounds, nine assists, and a shooting percentage of 12 out of 13.

A single assist was all that stood between Jokic and his thirteenth triple-double of the season. Over the course of the last nine games, he has made 85 of 105 field goal attempts, which is an 81 percent success rate.

A balanced effort was put forth by the Nuggets, who have won 14 of their last 18 games. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. each contributed 25 points to the team’s total.

According to Porter, “I believe that we are in a good spot.” We are about what you can anticipate with a bench lineup that is substantially different from the one we had the previous year, given that we just won a championship and had a short summer.

Obviously, we would love to be in first place in the Western Conference, but we are currently a couple of games behind. We are in a cheerful mood. Men are in good health. All you could possibly ask for is that.”

The Nuggets are continuing to make strides in the aftermath of their championship run, particularly with Jokic and Murray in charge of the ball and demonstrating their competence.

“You know at the end of the game the ball is going to be in Jamal or Nikola’s hand and they’re going to make the right play,” said Pacers player Bruce Brown, who was a member of the Nuggets squad that won the championship the previous year.

Additionally, the Nuggets locked down on defense and prevented the Pacers from scoring seven points on the fastbreak.

“It was just a point of emphasis to get back,” Murray said. “It was a stress point.” “We knew that’s what they do and they do it really well and they’ve been doing it all season.”