"The guy is a beast, he's so talented"- Nikola Jokic sings praises of Joel Embiid despite the two stars locked in an epic MVP battle

Nikola Jokic paid his respects to MVP rival Joel Embiid after leading the Denver Nuggets to a 116-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday in the latter's absence. Embiid was ruled out due to a calf injury. That made things easier for Jokic and Co. to record the win. Jokic still gave Embiid his flowers, saying (via Hardwood Paroxysm on Twitter):

"I think he's a great player. I think he's going to be remembered as one of the great players in the league. The guy is a beast, he's so talented. He can post-up, he can face-up, he can shoot 3s, he's a good defender."

While their respective fans have been at it, making a case for their favorite player to win the coveted award, the two superstar bigs have maintained tremendous mutual respect. The next time Jokic and Embiid could go head-to-head is if the Nuggets and 76ers make the finals this year. It would be a clash for the ages and a real MVP battle with the title on the line.

Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets barely escape with a win against Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers

Nikola Jokic registered his 29th triple-double this year, tallying 25 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists in Joel Embiid's absence. Denver barely escaped with a five-point win after the shorthanded 76ers, who were also without James Harden, trimmed the Nuggets' 20-point fourth-quarter lead to three points with 28 seconds left.

The game also ended on a controversial note. Before extending the Denver Nuggets' lead to five points with 13 seconds left, Jeff Green appeared to have stepped out of bounds on the baseline. The call would've given the Sixers the possession with down three points, with enough time on the clock to tie the contest or potentially win it.

It's safe to say the Nuggets may not have won the game on Monday if Joel Embiid had been available. In their previous meeting, Embiid outplayed Nikola Jokic and led the 76ers to a 126-119 win on Jan. 28.

Embiid had 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Jokic had a decent game, but he was far from matching Embiid toe-to-toe, posting 24 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and two blocks.

Joel Embiid has been the frontrunner over the past couple of weeks to win the MVP award, but missing his latest chance to lock horns with Nikola Jokic may favor the latter. He had outplayed Jokic at home, and doing it on the road would've boded well for his MVP aspirations.