After Jokic one night, Raptors must now try to stop Sixers Joel Embiid

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The old expression of ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire’ can easily and quite succinctly sum up the plight of the Raptors, who go from trying to contain Nikola Jokic to trying to defend Joel Embiid.

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Good luck.

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There was misfortune Wednesday night when the reigning champion Denver Nuggets came to Toronto and basically toyed with an inferior Raptors team.

The NBA finals MVP known as the Joker didn’t post 50 points in the win, but all the subtleties and nuances that separate Jokic from his peers were on full display.

Nifty passes from the post, accurate feeds from the top of the circle, bounce passes to cutters, no-look dishes that no one saw coming — it was part-Magic Johnson, part-Arvydas Sabonis for fans of the game from a past era.

In many ways, Jokic is an old-school player, a generational point-centre who goes about his business with stunning ease and remarkable efficiency.

Embiid, the NBA’s reigning MVP, is just as dominant, but he does it in a different way.

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His Sixers will play host to the Raptors on Friday night before Toronto returns home for a Saturday tip against the Utah Jazz.

The Raptors and their fans are much more acquainted with Embiid given the history between the two clubs. This season, the 76ers are 2-0 against the Raptors, each game contested with Toronto playing on the back end of a back-to-back.

Jokic has Jamal Murray to ride shotgun and a supporting cast that understands its role.

In Philly, Embiid has Tyrese Maxey as his sidekick with James Harden shipped off to L.A. with the Clippers.

The supporting cast around Embiid continues to evolve and emerge, but it’s nowhere near Denver’s level.

Jokic and Embiid are by far the best big men in the game and arguably the two most dominant players in the NBA. What’s so unique about each player is that they impose their will in such contrasting ways.

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Take, for example, Wednesday’s third quarter when Minnesota visited Philly in a matchup of heavyweights.

The Sixers scored 26 points in the third period with Embiid netting 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting as a seven-point hole was turned into a three-point Philly lead.

On the night, Embiid poured in a game-high 51 points and hauled down 12 boards to lead Philly to its 127-113 win.

“He’s unstoppable, man,” T’Wolves all-star wing Anthony Edwards said. “I don’t see how they lose a game, honestly.”

Philly’s win was its seventh in its past eight games, making amends for a 108-104 setback to Chicago on Monday night.

“I felt like I was playing within the offence and not forcing anything,” said Embiid, who is averaging 38.3 points over his past 12 games and has scored 40 or more in four of his past five.

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“I took what was being given to me. And I’ve been trying to figure out is when to be aggressive and when to let my teammates do their thing.”

It was Embiid’s seventh career game with at least 50 points. He also notched his 12th successive game of scoring 30 or more points and recording at least 10 rebounds — the NBA’s longest active streak since the days when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suited up for the Milwaukee Bucks.

“We’re winning and that’s all that matters,” Embiid said. “Stats are great and it’s great to put up stats. But if it comes with a loss, then that’s a different story. If it comes with a win, it means a lot.”

Until Embiid is able to win a title, he’ll remain in the Joker’s shadow, though.

In the absence of Harden, Embiid is surrounded with a more selfless cast and, in Nick Nurse, Embiid has the best coach he has had during his time in Philly.

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The Eastern Conference is shaping up as a three-team race featuring the Sixers, Celtics and Bucks.

Nurse is the most accomplished coach and might provide Embiid his best shot of winning a championship.

“He’s continuing to get better and he’s just doing enough different things rhythmically to keep those guys guessing,” Nurse said of Embiid. “He has a feel that if guys step into him, he can get them. And I like when he goes downhill.”

In the win over Minny, Embiid converted on 17 of his 18 trips to the foul line.

“He had an amazing night,” said Minny big man Rudy Gobert, who was in early foul trouble. “Very, very tough matchup. A tough player to guard.”

The Sixers did lose starting guard De’Anthony Melton because of a left thigh contusion in the win. Nicolas Batum (hamstring) and Robert Covington (illness) also weren’t available.

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In early November, Embiid had 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the host Sixers beat the Raptors 114-99. It was Philly’s first victory after the Harden trade.

Five nights earlier, Embiid scored 34 points, while adding nine rebounds and eight assists as the Sixers rewarded Nurse with the victory in his first game back in Toronto.

Multiple bodies will be thrown at Embiid on Friday night by the Raptors, multiple schemes employed to limit his effectiveness or simply get the ball out of his hands and let someone else try to beat the them.

Against a very solid defensive team in the T’Wolves, Embiid would begin his night by making only one shot on six attempts.

“I thought I was going to shoot 2-for-30,″ he would later tell reporters.

The Raptors can only hope for such a night.

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