PHILADELPHIA -- Before Tuesday night's showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and the defending champion Denver Nuggets, 76ers coach Nick Nurse was asked about the head-to-head battle between the top two finishers in the past three MVP races: 76ers center Joel Embiid and Nuggets counterpart Nikola Jokic.
"The card tonight is more than just the big heavyweight matchup," Nurse said with a smile. "There's a little bit more going on."
That might have been true. But the two superstar big men more than lived up to their billing atop the marquee.