DENVER — As the 76ers prepared for Tuesday’s shootaround at Ball Arena, Joel Embiid slipped on a jersey. A yellow scout-team “pinnie” that the player-development coaches wear during those sessions, that is.

Last season, it took a career- and league-high 33.1 points per game, and perhaps a bout of voter fatigue, for Joel Embiid to dethrone Nikola Jokic as the NBA's Most Valuable Player. This season, the two superstar big men are the front-runners for the honor ...

The Denver Nuggets haven't seen much of Joel Embiid in recent years.

After notching 41 points and 10 assists against Denver, Joel Embiid keeps the No. 1 spot. Michael C. Wright Reigning Kia NBA MVP Joel Embiid gets the better of 2-time winner Nikola Jokic in Philadelphia's victory over Denver. • NBA All-Star 2024: Vote ...

Not only did Embiid edge Jokic in total points -- 790 to 788 -- but Jokic actually had more first-place votes (42 for Jokic, 40 for Embiid). The difference: Embiid finished in second place on 45 ballots -- six more than Jokic -- to give the Sixers big man ...