The Philadelphia 76ers’ poor third-quarter production has haunted them all season, but their execution in the final frame frequently bailed them out early on. Philadelphia ranked first in the NBA in fourth-quarter points through its 5-1 start to the 2025-26 campaign, but its third-period troubles have started to bleed into the final 12 minutes.
Ever since their electric start, the 76ers have mellowed to 17th league-wide in fourth-quarter points, and it showed last night. Philadelphia’s offense spiraled in the final frame of its 99-98 win against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, with an anemic 82.6 offensive rating. What was once one of the 76ers’ best qualities soured into a toxin that nearly led to their most frustrating loss of the season.
What went wrong?
Philadelphia led Golden State by as many as 24 points with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. But, the Warriors slowly chipped away at their deficit and shortened the 76ers’ advantage to 14 points entering the last period. All Philadelphia had to do was keep its composure and execute as it did in the first half.
Instead, disaster struck.
Golden State delivered full-court pressure – a league-wide trend this season – on a Tyrese Maxey-less 76ers backcourt and they felt it. Neither Quentin Grimes nor VJ Edgecombe could break the Warriors’ press and they struggled to create advantages, which stalled the offense. Nick Nurse saw enough and inserted Maxey into his rotation to put Golden State on ice. The 76ers led by 12 points three-and-a-half minutes into the frame, after all.
Although Maxey scorched the Warriors for 31 points through three quarters, his presence initially lacked the desired effect. He dwelled off the ball while Grimes unsuccessfully attempted to isolate, prompting Golden State to get within 10 points.
Nurse altered the lineup again, subbing Jared McCain for Edgecombe, but it proved to be counterintuitive. He coughed up back-to-back turnovers, struggling to navigate the Warriors’ back-court pressure. Maxey tried to limit the damage, but Golden State cleverly switched and blitzed him off pick-and-rolls. He could rely upon Joel Embiid to exploit those coverages prior to the fourth quarter, but Embiid’s minutes restriction prevented him from playing the final 12 minutes.
The Warriors turned their defense into offense, slicing Philadelphia’s lead to four points midway through the frame. But, the 76ers momentarily found their offensive footing, as Maxey, Grimes and McCain scored off the dribble to regain a four-point edge.
Philadelphia grew too infatuated with isolations, however.
Maxey and Grimes settled for contested jumpshots off the dribble, giving way to the 76ers recording just seven points in the last three-and-a-half minutes. Meanwhile, Pat Spencer erupted for 12 fourth-quarter points, including a three-pointer that propelled Golden State in front by four points.
The 76ers got lucky
It appeared that Philadelphia’s stagnancy would result in defeat as Maxey received an in-bounds pass with less than three seconds left and misfired a heavily-contested mid-range shot. Against all odds, Edgecombe resiliently rebounded Maxey’s missed jumper and converted a put-back layup to salvage a one-point win.
The 76ers totaled 19 fourth-quarter points on 9-22 shooting from the field and 0-4 accuracy from three-point range. Philadelphia’s scarce three-point volume was a product of an isolation-heavy offense that prevented advantage creation. It recorded six turnovers as well.
The team’s quick turnaround – facing the Milwaukee Bucks at 8 p.m. EST – offers an opportunity to improve its offensive execution. The 76ers are up against a 22nd-rated Milwaukee defense that they must exploit through increased ball movement and variety. With Paul George (knee) returning, Philadelphia has to run more non-Maxey actions to make its approach less predictable and stale.