Local Denver Nuggets fans will have to wait another year to watch Nikola Jokic face Joel Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers have ruled out Embiid for Saturday's game in Denver due to left knee soreness, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Sixers training staff reportedly watched Embiid during warm-ups and opted to sit him, making the decision minutes before tip-off.

The Sixers will also be without Tyrese Maxey (ankle) and Tobias Harris (illness)

Of all the games Embiid could have missed this season, it's this one, a nationally televised clash between the NBA's top two MVP candidates, that will raise the most eyebrows.

Embiid hasn't played in Denver since Nov. 2019, which was the season after Jokic's first All-Star selection. The two players have since become the clear two best centers in the NBA and recently the league's top two players, finishing in the top two in MVP voting in each of the last three seasons. Jokic won the award in 2021 and 2022, while Embiid broke through last year.

Embiid had previously played six straight games, similar to how last year's absence in Denver broke up a 13-game streak of appearances. Neither game was on a back-to-back.

Beyond the ramifications of missing Jokic and the Nuggets, this will bring Embiid's number of missed games this season up to 11. If he misses six more games, he will be ineligible for NBA awards voting including MVP, where he is again fighting it out with Jokic.