What we learned from the Sixers kicking off their road trip with a loss at the Nuggets
Denver dominated the game from wire-to-wire on Tuesday night, and the Sixers shot poorly from three-point range, making just 9-of-41 shots from deep.
The 76ers never looked all that competitive in their 124-96 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
With the Sixers still down four starters, the Nuggets took the lead early and led by double-digits for almost the entire game.
Here’s three things we learned from the opening game of the Sixers’ three-game road trip:
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These are still the zombie Sixers
Denver easily was the most challenging game on this road trip. With games against the tanking Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, the Sixers still can go a respectable 2-1 on the trip and tread water in the playoff race.
Stealing a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, a borderline playoff team, might have given the Sixers a bit of hope that they could stay semi-competitive during this stretch. But on Tuesday, Denver dominated from wire-to-wire, just like the Pistons did when the Sixers made the trip to Detroit last week.
Joel Embiid could play on this road trip, coach Nick Nurse said before Saturday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. He said Tuesday that Embiid was “active” during part of shootaround and went through an individual workout. Kelly Oubre Jr. will be reevaluated at the end of the week, and Tyrese Maxey a week after that. Paul George will be full-go immediately after his suspension ends next week.
Entering Tuesday’s game, the Sixers still were just one game back of the No. 6 seed, which would allow them to bypass the play-in rounds. But the zombie Sixers still have one more tough game before George’s return: Monday’s home showdown with former Sixer Jared McCain and the Oklahoma City Thunder, which makes the next two games of the roadtrip near must-wins.
Increased three-point attempts
The Sixers took 25 threes in each game of their back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesday, they attempted 24 threes in the first half alone. But they shot just 9-for-41 overall from beyond the arc.
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In a league dominated by three-point shooting, the Sixers have struggled to replace Maxey’s three-point production, often relying on the midrange game to score. The Nuggets, though, made 16-for-33 from three.
The Sixers haven’t defended well enough to stop their tougher opponents from making threes and haven’t scored enough to keep up with them. George’s 38.2% three-point percentage is the highest on the Sixers, so his expected return to the lineup against the Chicago Bulls on March 25 will help.
Who’s going to be in the healthy rotation?
The idea of the Sixers actually having a healthy rotation might seem far-fetched. There’s always something, but this stretch has given players on the Sixers’ bench an opportunity to show off their skills and make a case to regularly contribute.
There might not be a player who’s made a better case for himself over the last week than Justin Edwards, who scored 11 points in 24 minutes, 48 seconds against Denver.
MarJon Beauchamp, still on a two-way deal, was the best Sixer on the floor Tuesday, scoring a team-high 16 points on 54.5% shooting, including four three-pointers.