The Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers are in very different moods entering a Friday night showdown in Philadelphia.
The Nuggets (28-19) have lost three games in a row, while the Sixers have won four straight. That disparity sets up an intriguing matchup between two teams that played a lopsided game in Denver last week.
The Nuggets cruised to a 144-109 win over the Sixers on Jan. 21, prompting Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse to lament that his team “just didn’t bring it.”
The Sixers (19-27) quickly recovered from that defeat, winning their last four games, including notable victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. Most recently, they rallied from a 12-point deficit to top the Sacramento Kings 117-104 on Wednesday.
“Our defense was really, really great in the fourth, man,” Nurse said after his team allowed just 17 fourth-quarter points against Sacramento. “We were just flying all over the place, tipped a bunch of balls around.”
On the offensive end, the Sixers rode Tyrese Maxey’s 30 points and eight assists to the finish line. The dynamic guard has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in six straight games, including a 28-point, 10-assist effort in the recent loss to Denver.
Maxey continues to do much of the heavy lifting while the team plays without Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (finger), among others. He is averaging a career-high 27.1 points — and his 1.9 steals are nearly double his previous career best.
“I had to grow up a little bit,” Maxey said. “I think the adversity was really good for me. I just channeled it and rallied around my teammates, and now I’m pushing my teammates to be the best possible version of themselves, no matter who is on the court. I think that’s really helped us.”
The Nuggets are facing some adversity of their own. They lost their last three games to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks by an average of 15.7 points.
In Wednesday’s 122-112 loss to the Knicks, Nikola Jokic had one of his quieter games of the season, with 17 points, six assists and six rebounds. Denver struggled to get stops defensively and committed 14 turnovers, an issue plaguing the squad.
“We don’t fix (the turnover issue) because we’re doing it the last 25 games,” a blunt Jokic said after the game. “I think we need to find a way to live with that.”
Nuggets coach Mike Malone was a bit more optimistic about the performance.
“Bottom line is it’s a loss, but I do believe in how you win and how you lose. And I did not like the loss in Chicago (on Monday). … Tonight, I thought the effort was there,” Malone said. “I can walk out of here disappointed in the outcome but a lot more pleased with how we played.”
Jamal Murray had one of his better games of the season against New York, recording 33 points, six assists and five boards. He hasn’t scored 30-plus points in back-to-back regular-season games since February 2023.
–Field Level Media
