Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers emerged victorious on Tuesday in a matchup between the previous three MVPs in the league.

Embiid outplayed Nikola Jokić and helped the 76ers defeat the NBA champion Denver Nuggets 126-121. While Jokić was fantastic, Embiid was the player of the game, finishing with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.

With 7:30 left in the game and Denver up 111-110, both players returned to the action. Embiid went on a remarkable 10-0 run to give Philadelphia a 123-113 lead and put the game beyond Denver’s grasp with the score knotted at 113-113. With 4:53 left, he extended Philadelphia’s advantage to 121-113 by making a 3-pointer over Jokić. During the run, he scored from inside, out, and at the line.

After Embiid fouled Michael Porter Jr. on a 3-point attempt, the Nuggets used three free throws from Porter to trim the score to 125-121 in the last thirty seconds. However, Philadelphia held on for the victory as the Nuggets were unable to score again.

Jokić opened the opening game of a five-game East Coast road journey with 25 points, 19 rebounds, and three assists, but it wasn’t enough for the Nuggets. When they return to Denver, will it be their first game back? a rematch on January 27 with the 76ers.

The contest featured the two greatest centers in the league—possibly the two finest players in the whole league—who had won a combined three league MVP titles. Jokić took home the trophy in 2021 and 2022, back-to-back seasons. Embiid won his first MVP award in 2023, besting Jokić, who came in second. In response, Jokić won his first NBA title and the MVP award for the Finals.