Sixers made their foul shots, but that’s about it in their loss to Denver | Best/worst

DENVER — Give Doc Rivers credit for not using Joel Embiid’s absence as an excuse.

But the 76ers center being sidelined left a major hole in the team’s lineup for the second straight game. This time, the Denver Nuggets prevailed 104-95 Tuesday night at Ball Arena in a game that was more lopsided than the final score.

Here are the best and worst performances from the game:

Michael Porter Jr. gets this. Yeah, yeah I know his Nuggets teammate Jamal Murray finished with a game-high 30 points. But Porter was much more efficient while scoring 27 points. He made 11 of 16 shots, including 5 of 7 three-pointers compared to Murray going 12-for-24 overall and making 5 of 11 threes. Porter also finished with a game-high 12 rebounds to go with a block.

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Facundo Campazzo gets this. The Nuggets reserve guard was held scoreless after missing all five of his shot attempts. He also committed four turnovers and was a minus-13.

Murray gets this. Excelling on both sides of the ball, the point guard finished with a team-high three steals.

This goes to the Ben Simmons’ two rebounds. The was the season-low for the three-time All-Star.

You have to give this to the Sixers’ foul shooting. They made 14 of 15 attempts for 93.3%.

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This goes to the Sixers’ defensive effort, especially early on. Sure they made things close in the end, but their defensive effort was horrible in the first quarter. The Nuggets were making wide-open shots and getting to the rim with ease. Denver shot 66.7% in the first quarter, including going 7 of 10 on three-pointers.