Embiid Scratched; 'Ducking' Narrative Surfaces

The 76ers traveled to Denver for a Jan. 27, 2024 game against the Nuggets, but Joel Embiid did not play; the team listed him out with knee/calf issues in a late scratch reported in coverage of the matchup [5]. Fans inside Ball Arena and on social platforms raised 'Where's Embiid?' chants and shared viral posts suggesting Embiid was avoiding playing in Denver against Nikola Jokic; talkSPORT summarized fan-driven claims with headlines like "'Always ducking Jokic' - Fans claim footage shows why Joel Embiid hasn't played in Denver in over five years" and noted the chant-driven viral reaction [6]. Philadelphia reporters also covered the scratch and collected Embiid's own later comments defending his decision-making about playing availability during the 2022–23 MVP window—comments in which Embiid said, "If one game is going to hurt anybody’s chances, then I guess everybody should be out of it," while also praising Jokic as "one of the best players in the league" [3]. Immediate coverage mixed beat reporting on medical designation with social-media amplification of fan chants and skepticism.

The Jan. 27, 2024 scratch mattered because absence timing intersected with an existing rivalry narrative, producing a viral fan-driven 'ducking' storyline despite medical explanations. It highlights how availability decisions can be reframed by fans and lower-reliability outlets into accusations of avoidance, complicating interpretations of competitive behavior. The episode shows that documented medical scratches can still fuel public perceptions of refusal to engage in marquee matchups when amplified on social media [5][6][3].

Following the scratch, Embiid publicly defended his absence in other instances of coverage and emphasized respect for Jokic, telling reporters later that he considered Jokic "one of the best players in the league" and that missing individual games should not be overinterpreted [3]. Media outlets with higher verification standards treated the scratch as an injury-related decision, while fan accounts and some outlets continued to circulate viral narratives. The incident contributed to intermittent social-media cycles accusing Embiid of avoidance but did not produce documented formal complaints from either player or team [5][6][3].