Back Joel Embiid, Sixers as slim favorites over Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets Tuesday night

The NBA’s last two MVPs meet tonight in Philadelphia, as the 76ers host the Denver Nuggets at Wells Fargo Center.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic captured the league’s top honor two seasons ago as he squares off against 76ers big man Joel Embiid, who was named MVP last season.

Jokic and the Nuggets are coming off back-to-back home wins over the Pelicans and Pacers to improve to 28-13 this season. But the defending champions sit in third place of the ultra-competitive Northwest Division behind Minnesota and Oklahoma City.

The 76ers, who remain in second place of the Atlantic Division behind Boston, seek a third straight win after beating Sacramento and Houston at home.

Embiid returned to the lineup against the Rockets with a 41-point effort, marking his 17th straight game scoring 30 or more points.

Embiid has already missed 10 games with a knee injury and other ailments, putting him in jeopardy of being ineligible for a second straight MVP. The league instituted a new player participation policy this season for its highest honor, forcing players to play at least 20 minutes in a minimum of 65 games in order to be eligible.

The star center has been hearing the not-so-quiet whispers about how he’s been dodging better opponents. Real or not, there’s no escaping Jokic and the defending champs Tuesday night.

“Who doesn’t want to play against the best?” Embiid said after Monday’s victory over the Rockets. “It’s fun to play against the best. You kind of measure yourself and see where you are.”

The Nuggets and 76ers split their two matchups last season with the home team winning each time. Embiid didn’t play in the loss at Denver, but he torched the Nuggets for 47 points in a 126-119 home victory last January as Philadelphia overcame a 15-point halftime deficit.

It was a defining moment that gave MVP voters a one-on-one comparison when it came to casting their MVP ballots. Embiid appears to be aware that Tuesday night could be another one of those games.

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“Every single team that I play against, I dominate,” Embiid said in response to the criticism he’s received for dodging opponents. “We win and I put up numbers necessary to win.”

Tonight marks the fifth time this season the Nuggets are listed as underdogs. They own a 2-2 record straight-up and against the spread in that role.

Denver has stepped up on the road recently by winning six of its last seven games away from Ball Arena with the lone loss coming at Utah last Wednesday. Overall, the Nuggets are 18-22-1 against the spread but above .500 on the road.

The 76ers are 9-2 straight-up and against the spread in the last 11 games in which Embiid has played.

In an MVP showcase game, let’s lay the points and take the 76ers at home.

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