Sixers takeaways: Inexcusable effort, costly turnovers, and more from an overtime loss to the Nuggets

The positive momentum the 76ers built vanished.

They’re still doing a great job of sharing the ball.

But the Sixers need to do a better job of closing out games.

And even in a loss, VJ Edgecombe showed why Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman is a fan.

» READ MORE: Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey is Eastern Conference player of the week for second time this season

Those are the items that stood out in Monday’s 125-124 overtime loss to the depleted Nuggets at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The Sixers (19-15) had no business losing this game.

I’m stating this fully aware that this was this was their first home game following a five-game road trip capped by three impressive victories against the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks.

And I realize teams are usually sluggish during their first night back at home.

But this game should not have been close, based on the substandard roster the Nuggets (24-12) put on the floor.

Denver was without three-time MVP and seven-time All-NBA selection Nikola Jokić (hyperextended left knee) and standouts Jamal Murray (sprained left ankle) and Aaron Gordon (strained right hamstring) due to injuries. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas (right calf strain), who is Jokić’s backup, was also sidelined. And that’s not all. Tamar Bates (left foot surgery), Christian Braun (sprained left ankle), Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness management), and Cameron Johnson (right knee bone bruise) also missed the game.

The Sixers suffered their worst loss of the season after Tyrese Maxey missed a floater with 0.2 seconds left in overtime.

Nick Nurse was asked if he liked the final shot.

“It was OK,” Nurse said. “It kind of turned the corner, and kind of wove up off balanced and probably wasn’t as clean a look as he wanted to get. But it was just OK.”

When asked about the shot, Maxey said, “I tripped over my foot, and I tried to shoot it, and I was falling.”

The All-NBA caliber point guard also lost the ball before missing a three-pointer on the final possession in regulation.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Joel Embiid says he’s feeling more like himself

An inability to contain former Penn State standout Jalen Pickett (29 points on 7-for-11 three-point shooting), Peyton Watson (24 points on 7-for-13 shooting), Bruce Brown (19 points on 7-for-13 shooting), and Zeke Nnaji (21 points on 7-for-11 shooting — including 4 of 5 three-pointers) contributed to the loss.

With those four players leading the way, the Nuggets shot 53.1% from the field and 48.6% on three-pointers.

“We allowed them to really feel good early, and it just continued the entire game,” Nurse said. “You just look at the numbers, 48.6% from three. We [turned them over more] a little bit [forcing 19 turnovers to 14] and out-rebounded them a little bit [14 to 7]. Got more shots [98 to 81] than they did.

“So just the shooting percentage numbers are just the story of the game. And we didn’t guard them and keep the ball in front of us long enough.”

But it shouldn’t have come to this. This was supposed to be a game that kept the Sixers within a game of the fourth-place Toronto Raptors, who are now 1½ games ahead of them.

Quentin Grimes says the Sixers took the Nuggets lightly.

“We didn’t have the right mindset,” he said. “This is the NBA. Everybody can play at a high level. We didn’t really match their intensity. ”

Nurse wanted to build upon the solid ball movement the Sixers displayed during the final three games of their road trip.

“All you are trying to do is continue to do that, extend those periods even longer,” he said before the game. “Just continue to get the rhythm and the passing and the spacing and reading what’s out there as best you can.”

And the Sixers did.

One stood out occurred in the first quarter. After driving the lane, Grimes passed the ball back to Jared McCain behind the three-point line. McCain then passed it to Maxey, who buried a wide-open three-pointer to give the Sixers a 26-24 advantage.

The Sixers had 13 assists on their first 19 made baskets. They finished with 28 assists.

Edgecombe had nine assists to go with 17 points (all in the second half), eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Meanwhile, Maxey had six assists along with 28 points, six rebounds, four steals, and two blocks.

McCain (four), Paul George (three), Adem Bona (two), Grimes (two), and Joel Embiid (two) also recorded assists. In addition, Embiid finished with game-highs of 32 points and 10 rebounds.

As exciting as the Sixers have been, they still have a tough time closing out games.

They had a nine-point lead with 10 minutes, 48 seconds remaining in regulation.

» READ MORE: The Sixers’ success is dependent on Joel Embiid’s ability to make others better

But the Nuggets responded with a 15-2 run to take a four-point advantage. Then in overtime, the Sixers shot just 2-for-10 and had two costly turnovers.

This happens too often. The Sixers have just been good enough to overcome those miscues. But it doomed them Monday night.

Edgecombe was one of the few guys that Adelman got to watch casually last season while the Sixer was playing at Baylor.

“I got him a few times, and he immediately stood out,” Adelman said. “Just the athleticism, the speed, the competitiveness. And it’s all translated. I watched him against Memphis the other night. Again, it’s more fun to watch this stuff when it’s not film, when you’re not studying them, you’re just watching the game. Just so impressive.”

On Monday, Edgecombe didn’t have the best shooting night, making 6 of 17 shots overall. However, he made 5 of 11 three-pointers and was clutch down the stretch.

“Like I said, I think the athleticism, the skill set, all that stuff’s impressive,” Adelman said. “But it’s just more the competitive spirit of that kid. He just plays so hard. And you are looking for that in people nowadays. There’s a lot of people that are talented and get paid to play basketball. There’s guys you can tell love to play. He does.

“So he’s a problem. It was a great draft pick by Daryl [Morey] on this draft.”