Undermanned Sixers Turn In Flat Effort in Ugly Loss to Nuggets

The Sixers got exactly the kind of night they could not afford in Denver, where a short-handed roster was one problem, but a lack of defensive resistance and overall sharpness turned this into a game where they never had a lead in the game.

They came into the night with two straight wins and the kind of fight that had made this road trip feel like there was a chance to compete despite the injuries, because the second unit had been competing hard and young players had been giving them real life. There was at least a reason to believe this group would make Denver work for it, even if the odds were stacked against them.

While there have been heroic performances over the last 2 games, the first half was proof that the magic hit a wall. Denver put on a clinic in the first half with three Nuggets in double figures at the half, led by Cameron Johnson with 15, Christian Braun had 14, and Jamal Murray dropped in 11. In addition to this, Nikola Jokic had 10 assists. For the Sixers, there were no players with more than 7. The second half was an opportunity for David Adelman to rest his starters for most of the third and almost all of the fourth. The Nuggets cruised all night with a healthy lead, which stayed near 30 all night, ending mercifully with a 124-96 Denver win.

The Nuggets Ran Their Offense at Will

With the Sixers being so short-handed, the rotations were light, and while this is no excuse to not play hard, it is a bit understandable that they were being run ragged by a healthy Nuggets squad. When the game started, you could see the difference in the level of play from both teams. The Nuggets were passing on target, and the Sixers’ passes were off, which didn’t necessarily lead to turnovers, but it did take players out of rhythm, and it took them out of the game quickly. They did just that, starting in the first half.

The one thing that the Nuggets couldn’t stop was when the Sixers moved the ball up the court fast and made more than one pass. It looked like the Nuggets were flat-footed, and the rotating 30-point lead likely had something to do with that. But, in games like tonight’s, you have to look for positives, and the way that the Sixers moved the ball vertically up the court was a positive in this game.

Positives Few and Far Between In Lopsided Loss

Last time the Sixers played the Nuggets this season, Denver was missing their entire starting lineup, and the Sixers were largely healthy. In the previous meeting back in January, the leading scorer for the Nuggets was Jalen Pickett, who had 29, and tonight never saw the court. In a twist of fate, the 76ers’ leading scorer, Joel Embiid, was in street clothes as well. In the last game, the Nuggets took a 125-124 overtime win; their second unit beat the Sixers’ first team. Though the Sixers gutted out two wins, at home, heading on the road with only one typical starter against a fully loaded Nuggets squad in Denver, there wasn’t much hope of a third win.

In this lopsided loss, there was one standout, MarJon Beauchamp. He came off the bench and provided a jump start to the offense. His shot from distance was not just accurate tonight, shooting 4 of 8, but his use of spacing on the court, even in the face of top-level defenders, was impressive. He has definitely earned more minutes with his play tonight. His 16 points led the team in only 20 minutes on the floor. He showed tonight that he can be trusted with more minutes.

Defensive Effort Was Lacking Tonight

There was surprise that the Nuggets beat the Sixers by 29 tonight. They are a playoff team in the west, and the Sixers are missing 4 starters. We knew what to expect tonight. What was not expected was how flat-footed the Sixers played on defense, particularly in the second quarter. It was early in the game, so we can’t really say it was fatigue. There were several rotations in the second quarter where the Sixers overcommitted to Jokic, giving him easy passing lanes from the post, which we all know is his game. This was why the Nuggets truly pulled away in this quarter, winning the second 34-18. When the talent gap is this large, the underdog team needs to play more actively, as the Nuggets did in Philly when the tables were turned.

This all starts with footwork, and tonight the Sixers’ feet were planted and not nearly active enough to hold up to a team that is as good as Denver. In the previous two wins, the Sixers were able to hang with teams like Portland and the Nets, but the effort they gave on both sides of the ball wouldn’t have beaten either team. Nick Nurse has to find a way to get the team focused again before heading to Sacramento to take on the Kings, who also lost big tonight against the Spurs. If the effort and structure don’t improve before Thursday, this road trip may be a very long one, pulling the Sixers further out of the playoff picture.

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