NUGGETS COME UP SHORT IN PHILADELPHIA
Nuggets drop third straight game but show competitive edge
PHILADELPHIA» The Nuggets learned what the rest of the NBA soon will: The 76ers are going to be a problem.
Philadelphia unveiled its new, devastating lineup in front of a roaring crowd and pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 117-110, sending the Nuggets back to Denver after a difficult 1-3 road trip.
The Nuggets were tied 103-103 before Ben Simmons exploited a defensive miscommunication and soared through the lane for an emphatic dunk. Next Philadelphia enforcer Joel Embiid blocked a Malik Beasley dunk attempt and snuffed out any attempt at a comeback.
“To win a close game against a quality opponent on the road, you need your fourth-quarter defense to be great, and ours was not,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Definitely liked our guys’ fight, energy, competitive spirit tonight compared to the last two games.”
The loss dropped the Nuggets to 37-18 on the year, but at least Friday’s game featured nothing of the deflating effort that had been prevalent in their prior two games, losses at Detroit and Brooklyn. Nikola Jokic logged his 11th triple-double of the season, finishing with 27 points on 11 of 22 shooting, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jamal Murray was effective with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds.
The Nuggets as a team had 35 assists on 46 made field goals, but the Sixers sank 10 of 22 3-pointers in another sub-par perimeter defensive effort. J.J. Redick had a game-high 34 points, including 6 for 7 from 3-point range for Philly.
Evidently done with The Process, the Sixers traded for Clippers forward Tobias Harris before the trade deadline to create arguably the best starting five in the NBA along with Embiid, Simmons, Redick and Jimmy Butler.
Harris had 14 points and eight rebounds in his debut and partially made up for Embiid’s 4 of 17 night. The Sixers are at least in the conversation with their overwhelming talent even if that might raise eyebrows in Golden State and Milwaukee.
Unlike Philadelphia, the second-place Nuggets stood pat, content to play this promising season out.
“Thirty teams, everybody’s in a different position,” Malone said. “Some teams are in panic mode, they gotta take a gamble here or take a gamble there. What I loved about us is that we’re coming from a position of strength. This is our fourth year, we’ve gotten better every season, we’ve done it from within, all of our young players have gotten better and we haven’t traded off any young asset for a get-rich-quick scheme. If something would’ve presented itself, I think you always have to listen, but I love the group.”
Malone was especially eager to see how his team responded after back-to-back dispiriting road losses that mandated some introspection.
“Yes, we want to win, but I want to make sure we’re getting back to playing the right way, and Isaiah Thomas and I were talking this morning, he made a great point,” Malone said. “‘We’re not that talented where we can just show up.’”
Friday was definitely a step in the right direction as the Nuggets withstood a rowdy, hostile environment and competed.
“I don’t want to just hold on for dear life,” Malone said. “I want to stay aggressive. I want us to continue to win games and put distance on other teams that are behind us.”
Philadelphia fans were even more juiced up than normal as the Sixers retired legendary center Moses Malone’s number during a moving halftime ceremony. Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson were all in the house for the nationally televised broadcast.
The Nuggets had the unfortunate task of facing the new-look 76ers in the wake of all their acquisitions. With Harris in tow, Malone wasn’t even sure how to proceed during shootaround while getting his team prepared for the night’s defensive matchups.
The 76ers proved every bit as difficult as they appeared. Their size, their athleticism and their shooting were all huge obstacles and will cause plenty of headaches for Eastern Conference foes during the stretch run toward the postseason. Philadelphia also acquired Nuggets nemesis Boban Marjanovic, the imposing 7-foot-3 center always proving a challenge for any frontcourt.
The Sixers built a 50-34 lead midway through the second quarter, exposing Denver’s porous perimeter defense in the process. Redick buried 18 points on 4-of-4 3-pointers and Simmons bullied smaller defenders anytime he got near the hoop.
But the Nuggets reeled off a 22-6 run to close the half and tie it at 56. The Nuggets held the Sixers to just six points over the final 5:50 of the second quarter, and their offense came alive behind timely buckets from Jokic and Will Barton.