Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Joel Embiid puts Nuggets away with personal 10-0 run

The battle between the NBA's two best centers was even for 42 minutes. Then Joel Embiid took over.

With the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets tied at 113 in the fourth quarter, Embiid scored 10 straight points. After a quick bucket off a Tyrese Maxey pass, Embiid sunk a 19-footer with an and-one after luring Aaron Gordon into a foul.

Then, Embiid drew a reluctant Nikola Jokic out to the perimeter and sank a three-pointer over his fellow seven-footer.

The reigning MVP finished his personal 10-0 run with another jumper, putting Philly up 123-113 with just over four minutes to go.

But it was a team effort. Before Embiid's heroics, Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris combined on a huge sequence to tie the game. Beverley stripped Denver's Jamal Murray, and Morris hit a three while being fouled by DeAndre Jordan, for a four-point play.

Overall, the Sixers shut down the Nuggets in the final quarter. In six minutes, Denver scored just two points. A late flurry by Michael Porter Jr. and some Sixers missed free throws in the final minute let Denver close to a 126-121 final, but the game wasn't as close as the score.

Embiid finished with 41 points and 10 assists against Jokic, who finished ahead of him in the MVP voting in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. The Joker had 25 points and 19 rebounds, but only four points in the final quarter.

Still, it was all love after the game. Even after the victory, Embiid called Jokic "the best player in the league" - though he added, "I also believe in myself." After Tuesday night, there was a lot to believe in.

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