Nurse believes Sixers are focused, will flush abysmal defensive showing in Denver

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Nurse believes Sixers are focused, will flush abysmal defensive showing in Denver originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It would be quite surprising if the Sixers snapped their seven-game losing streak by beating the Eastern Conference-leading Cavs on Friday night.

Win or loss, it’s obvious head coach Nick Nurse does not want his team to resemble the one that fell to a 144-109 defeat Tuesday to the Nuggets.

“All of us were focused,” Nurse said after practice Thursday. “We went pretty hard. I know we’ve got a back-to-back coming, but we had to get through some things, get some things squared away. Spent the first hour-ish on defense, just getting all the pieces back, going through everything, going through lots of coverages. And then we moved to the other side of the ball. It was hard work … done hard, done with decent focus and commitment.”

Though Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin were partial participants at practice, both will remain out with right hip injuries vs. the 36-7 Cavs. Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, KJ Martin and Jared McCain are the other sidelined Sixers. Embiid, who’s out again with left knee swelling, took a few free throws and flung up full-court shots following practice.

The many injuries and difficulties that accompany ever-changing, undermanned rotations are essentially outside of the Sixers’ control.

However, as Nurse discussed at length Thursday, a chunk of the Sixers’ transition defense woes against the Nuggets went beyond excusable lapses. Denver finished the game with a 37-7 advantage in fast-break points.

“I think that was a combination of a lot of stuff,” he said. “I think, first and foremost, you’ve got to finish at the rim, which we did not. There were a lot of 3-on-1s that ended up missed and down at the other end for either an open three or a dunk. If you finish, they’re going to have to take it out and you’re going to get your defense set. So you’ve got to finish. You’ve got to score some. Shots have to be in rhythm. That’s one, two, three, before your transition defense starts.

“And you’ve got to run hard. You’ve got to communicate great….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nurse-believes-sixers-focused-flush-172738111.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2025-01-23 17:27:00

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