Nuggets skate past Sixers as Nikola Jokic gets 7th triple-double of season

The Nuggets-76ers game Saturday at Pepsi Center lacked some star power, but it wasn’t short on offensive firepower. Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler didn’t play. Neither did Jamal Murray, who missed the second game of his career with a sprained left ankle. Both teams still lit up the scoreboard.

Denver pulled away early in the fourth quarter — finally clamping down on the defensive end — and won 126-110. Philadelphia had no answer for Nikola Jokic without Embiid, who has been dealing with back soreness and rested as a precautionary measure. Jokic dominated Ben Simmons, Mike Muscala and whoever else Philadelphia threw at him. After serving a one-game suspension Friday against the Suns, he smacked the 76ers with a 32-point, 18-rebound, 10-assist triple-double — his seventh of the season.

At halftime, Denver led Philadelphia 77-68. The Nuggets have backslid defensively in the last month and a half, and that continued Saturday. The 76ers didn’t have to work hard to get great looks. They just couldn’t stop the Nuggets. Six Denver players scored in double figures. Mason Plumlee had 17, and Will Barton had 16.

JJ Redick was a thorn in Denver’s side. He hit four 3s on his way to 22 points. Ben Simmons scored 19, but he didn’t do it efficiently. He missed 11 of the 17 shots he took.

The Nuggets are 33-15 after winning Friday and Saturday at home against the Suns and 76ers. They travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Monday.