Nuggets clobber 76ers without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey to begin back-to-back

Bennett Durando, The Denver Post on Mar 18, 2026

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DENVER — A reminder to be vigilant of the trap game was readily available to the Nuggets.

They needed only remember their last matchup with the 76ers, when the roles were reversed — when Denver’s entire starting five was absent and Philly’s “Big Three” was fully intact. It was back in January, and Jalen Pickett, Hunter Tyson and Zeke Nnaji prevailed over Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid in a sentimental shocker. Now, Justin Edwards, Dalen Terry and Adem Bona were trying to return the favor.

“They’re dangerous,” coach David Adelman said before opening tip, “because when other guys are out like that, the green light is so bright.”

The Nuggets never allowed those memories to creep back in after the game started. With a 124-96 rout, they swept the seasons series against Philadelphia and improved to 17-12 against the Eastern Conference this year. Toronto is Denver’s last remaining East opponent on the schedule.

Playing a subdued 25 minutes before a back-to-back Wednesday in Memphis, Nikola Jokic scored a season-low eight points, easily short of his previous minimum (14). He was content to facilitate Denver to a lopsided win instead, piling up 14 assists. Christian Braun was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points on nine shots to celebrate his bobblehead being given away to ticketed fans. He also contributed five rebounds, three assists and a steal in his 27 minutes, the latest display of his reinvigorated health near the end of a season plagued by injury.

Offensively, the Nuggets (42-27) played with pace and cruised to a 30-point first-half lead with remarkably balanced output. Cam Johnson didn’t miss a 3-pointer en route to 18 points. He’s 55% from deep in the last four games, three of which Denver has won.

Jamal Murray bounced back from one of the worst games of his career with an understated 12 points, six boards and four assists. Aaron Gordon matched him in scoring and helped to spearhead a strong defensive effort from his team. Bruce Brown led an impressive night for the bench with 12 points. Braun was the game’s only 20-point scorer for either team.

It was all in limited playing time on a night the Nuggets needed to take it easy. Their visit to Memphis wasn’t supposed to be on the schedule, but it got sandwiched into the middle of their homestand in January after a blizzard postponed the original game. Last week, Denver benefitted from a rout of the Rockets under similar circumstances; starters were rested going into a back-to-back at San Antonio, enabling a second wind against the Spurs and a 20-point comeback victory.

Adelman said Gordon’s status for Memphis was unclear, but he conceded that if it was up to him, Gordon would play.

For the 76ers, Tuesday was a collision of unfortunate events. Their All-NBA point guard Maxey is out with a finger injury. George remains suspended after testing positive for a banned substance in January. Embiid is nearing a return from an abdominal injury, but he hadn’t been cleared yet in time to revive the battle of MVP centers. It was the sixth consecutive game in Denver that he’s missed, a streak dating back to 2019 that has become something of an afterthought the last two years amid his declining overall availability.

Still, the Philadelphia big man was treated to a chorus of boos when he emerged from the tunnel early in the second half. One sign in the Ball Arena lower bowl taunted him with a lousy knock-knock joke. (Who’s there? Not Embiid.) Bona and Andre Drummond comprised Nick Nurse’s center rotation instead.

Jokic and the shooters and cutters around him instantly dismantled Nurse’s game plan. Aaron Gordon and Braun reaped the rewards of their center’s surgical passing and combined for 19 early points. The Nuggets scored 20 off eight Jokic assists in the first nine minutes, confidently assembling a 31-16 lead.

Then Jokic picked up two fouls and a technical in a five-second span, sending him to a premature seat on the bench. If the 76ers were going to have a window into upset territory, it was going to be now. But the Nuggets’ bench padded the lead this time, rather than letting it slip away. Backup center Jonas Valanciunas, who had struggled lately in high-stakes games, went for eight points and nine rebounds to anchor Adelman’s reserve lineups. He was a plus-15 in 18 minutes.

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