The Philadelphia 76ers built a three-game win streak following their eight-day getaway and they had a perfect opportunity to extend it against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Injuries robbed seven of Denver’s eight leading scorers. But, it turned out that the Nuggets’ apparent misfortune was a trap and Philadelphia fell for it.
The 76ers (19-15) laid an egg against Denver (24-12) 125-124 in overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday night. Philadelphia started flat and later paid the price. The Nuggets boasted three 20-point scorers and Bruce Brown used Joel Embiid’s goaltending violation to score the game-winning layup. While it’s cliché, Denver simply wanted it more and the 76ers–in a multitude of ways–caved.
When the Nuggets jumped to an 11-2 lead, Philadelphia should’ve known what it was in for. Without Nikola Jokic (knee), Jonas Valanciunas (calf) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Denver’s Joel Embiid gameplan was evident from the get-go. It had Spencer Jones guard him with a help-side defender on standby. The Nuggets also sat in zone coverage for extended periods throughout the game to prevent dribble penetration.
While Embiid exploited Denver’s insufficient size for 32 points on 59.1% shooting from the field, he struggled to make plays out of double teams. The center finished with six turnovers compared to two assists. It wasn’t all Embiid’s fault as Philadelphia struggled to capitalize on his gravity. It shot 37.8% from three-point range to Denver’s 48.6%, the game’s swing factor.
But, the size disadvantage was undeniable and the 76ers’ half-court offense relied upon Embiid’s post presence. Everything else was supplemental, including Tyrese Maxey’s 28 points that primarily came from transition or off-the-dribble. So, when the Nuggets threw the kitchen sink at Embiid defensively with Maxey relying on isolations, Philadelphia’s offense faltered down the stretch.
Nick Nurse entrusted the guard with their final possession of regulation and overtime and on both occasions resulted in fruitless static dribbling. Not to mention, Denver’s zone was apparent down the stretch and the 76ers waited until the 1:50 mark of the fourth quarter to sub in Paul George for Adem Bona. Although the forward tallied just eight points, his floor-spacing would’ve better combated the coverage. Little things matter in one-possession games.
Then, there was the defensive end.
Jalen Pickett, Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji finished with 29, 24 and 21 points, respectively. Much of their success came down to beating Philadelphia off the point of attack, causing excessive rotations that ended in open three-pointers. The 76ers also had difficulty navigating off-ball screens, further adding fuel to the fire. Albeit, the Nuggets’ shotmaking was stunning throughout the contest, which only made the contest more frustrating for Philadelphia.
The 76ers’ bright spot was VJ Edgecombe, who scored all of his 17 points in the second half. He had nine assists, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks to go along with it. The rookie knocked down several three-pointers in the clutch and accumulated critical plays to put Philadelphia in a position to win. But, it didn’t take advantage.