Nuggets’ Michael Malone Appears to Criticize 76ers, Joel Embiid Over Injury Status

The Philadelphia center’s absence drew some strong comments from Denver’s head coach.

When it was announced that Joel Embiid would miss the Philadelphia 76ers' game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, there was no shortage of disappointment. It meant fans wouldn’t get another round of the Embiid vs. Nikola Jokić rivalry, but apparently, it also left Denver coach Michael Malone a bit baffled.

Embiid had played in Philadelphia’s previous six games, including one against the Nuggets, a victory in which he poured in 41 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds. When the news came out, Malone discussed the topic and stated his belief that the league would look into Embiid’s absence.

“I don’t know how you go from being active, available, to out. I’m sure the league will do their due diligence. Because that’s frowned upon.” Malone told reporters after the game. “And we’ve had situations this year where we’ve talked to the league, and they told us if a player goes from active to out, there’s going to be an investigation.”

Then, Malone proceeded to say he saw Embiid get hurt in the previous game.

“I’m sure that Joel—he hurt his knee in the Indiana game, I guess real. We watched the game … so I’m sure he’s hurt,” Malone also said.

It’s a confusing run of comments from the Nuggets coach, who said he felt there was a “letdown” from his team when the news of Embiid’s absence came just before tip-off.

It’ll be interesting to see if Malone’s belief that an investigation is coming pans out. Regardless, the Nuggets went on to win 111–105 behind a well-rounded offensive effort featuring four players scoring 18 or more points. Jokić led the way with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.