Christian Braun scored 22 points, while Nikola Jokic recorded 14 assists, as the Denver Nuggets cruised to a 124-96 victory over an injury-hit Philadelphia 76ers side on Tuesday night. <\/p>\n
Denver kept pace with Minnesota, which also secured a win over Phoenix, as the Western Conference standings remain tightly contested. Just 1.5 games separate the third-place Los Angeles Lakers from the sixth-place Timberwolves, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n Philadelphia was severely undermanned, missing Joel Embiid (right oblique strain), Tyrese Maxey (sprained finger), and Kelly Oubre Jr. (left elbow strain), while Paul George continues to serve a 25-game suspension.<\/p>\n The sold-out crowd reacted negatively when Embiid appeared on the bench in the third quarter. The star center has now missed the last six Sixers games played in Denver, denying fans a much-anticipated MVP showdown with Jokic.<\/p>\n Jokic finished with just eight points on 4-of-7 shooting but made his presence felt early, reaching 10 assists in under 12 minutes. He also picked up two quick fouls and a technical foul in the first quarter after already tallying eight assists.<\/p>\n Cameron Johnson added 18 points for Denver, while Jamal Murray<\/a> contributed 12 points after struggling in his previous outing against the Lakers, where he shot 1-of-14 and missed his final 13 attempts before fouling out in overtime.<\/p>\n The Nuggets had been short-handed in their previous meeting with Philadelphia on January 5 but still managed an overtime win. This time, however, they faced no such challenge.<\/p>\n Denver never trailed, building a 16-point lead by the end of the first quarter and extending it to 71-38 late in the second after Braun converted two free throws. The Nuggets held the Sixers to just 40 first-half points \u2014 their lowest allowed \u2014 and maintained full control throughout the game.<\/p>\n Up next:<\/p>\n