3 observations after Sixers fall just short in high-scoring battle vs. Nuggets

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3 observations after Sixers fall just short in high-scoring battle vs. Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers fell a hair shy of pulling off a fifth consecutive win Friday night.

They lost a high-scoring battle to the Nuggets, dropping a 137-134 game at Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers are now 19-28 overall. Denver is 29-19.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with a 42-point, nine-assist performance.

Guerschon Yabusele scored an NBA career-high 28 points on 12-for-17 shooting and Kelly Oubre Jr. put up 27 points.

Nikola Jokic posted 28 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. Jamal Murray recorded 31 points and 11 assists.

The Sixers still had six players out, including Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (left pinkie finger extensor tendor injury).

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that George is “day-to-day.” He said the Sixers plan for Embiid to practice Saturday and expect to have a better sense of his status after that.

The Sixers will play the Celtics on Sunday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on their defeat to the Nuggets:

Jokic and Maxey feature in 1st quarter

Maxey committed three turnovers Friday in under two minutes. Jokic fed Aaron Gordon for a dunk and Nurse called timeout with his team trailing 14-6.

The Sixers faced the same size-related challenges present in their blowout loss last Tuesday to Denver. The Nuggets scored the night’s first 12 points in the paint.

As he routinely does, Yabusele sparked a Sixers run. He hit a wing three-pointer, stole the ball from Russell Westbrook and steamed forward for a coast-to-coast slam. The Sixers soon had their first lead.

Maxey shrugged off his shaky start and found his groove as an isolation scorer late in a 13-point, four-assist first quarter. He passed Kyle Korver for third place on the Sixers’ all-time made three-pointers list.

On the other end, Jokic appeared well on his way to a triple-double with nine points, six rebounds and six assists in the opening period. He casually diced up the Sixers’ defense and caused frequent problems with his transition ventures after defensive rebounds.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-observations-sixers-fall-just-220932367.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2025-01-31 22:09:00

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