Sixers no match for Denver Nuggets, fall into a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference

DENVER — Many were quick to frown on the 76ers’ chances during this six-game road trip with Joel Embiid sidelined because of a bone bruise in his left knee.

But the Sixers silenced their doubters, taking down the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers in their first three games. However, Embiid’s absence was too big to overcome against the Los Angeles Clippers. And the same can be said about Tuesday night’s 104-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

The Sixers dropped to 32-15 after their second consecutive setback and lost sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re tied with the Brooklyn Nets with 25 games remaining. The Milwaukee Bucks are 2½ games back in third place.

The Sixers will conclude the road trip Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

“... We can’t use that as an excuse,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said of losing the last two games without Embiid. “He’s not here. I’m not going to let our guys use that as an excuse. We have a chance to go plus-.500 on a road trip without Joel. That’s what we should be focused on. Not that we lost two without Joel.”

With Embiid sidelined, Dwight Howard became the third Sixers player to start at center in his absence.

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This move made a lot of sense.

Tony Bradley started at center in the six games Embiid missed. However, the Sixers shipped Bradley to Oklahoma City on Thursday in exchange for point guard George Hill. Mike Scott, who started the previous two games, is actually a 6-foot-7 power forward. He was too small to defend the 7-foot, 284-pound Nikola Jokic.

So the 6-10, 265-pound, muscle-bound Howard made his fifth start of the season.

Howard, however, was unable to stop the Nuggets’ hot three-point shooting. Denver (29-18) made 12 of 31 threes while playing in front of a home crowd for the first time this season.

Jokic was solid as usual, but he was just one of three dominant Nuggets. Jamal Murray had a game-high 30 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while making 5 of 11 three-pointers.

Michael Porter Jr. added 27 points to go with his 12 rebounds. The 6-10 small forward made 11 of 16 shots, including going 5 of 7 on three-pointers. Jokic finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

“Defensively, they just didn’t feel us all night ... It’s not who we are,” Tobias Harris said of the Sixers’ defensive effort. “We have to change that.”

Harris finished with 12 points, two steals and two blocks. However, he was a game-worst minus-29. Ben Simmons added 11 points, but didn’t impact the game.

He finished with a season-low two rebounds to go with just three assists, two steals and three turnovers.

“He’s got to play better,” Rivers said. “We all got to play better.”

Said Simmons: “I got to get my [stuff] together.”

Howard and Shake Milton had 10 apiece. Seth Curry struggled from the field, scoring eight points on 3-for-10 shooting. He made just 2 of 7 three-pointers.

Trailing 88-71, the Sixers sat their starters in the fourth quarter. Tyrese Maxey took advantage of the extra playing time, scoring a team-high 13 points - all in the fourth.

“The positive is that the clock finally expired,” Rivers said. “That was one very good positive, because I was hoping they would do the AAU rules and just keep the clock [running]. I thought we should have had a running clock from the first quarter on.”

Jokic and Embiid are regarded as the league’s best two centers. Rivers said Jokic’s patience is one the things that separates him from others.

“He said, I think a year ago, the reason you can’t speed him up is because he can’t go fast,” Rivers said. “So I think he accepted that. And he’s just so skilled. He does everything.

“He shoots the three. He’s maybe top one, two, three. I can’t even think of who’s a better passer [all-time from the center position], maybe Bill Walton or [Arvydas] Sabonis. You know, there hasn’t been a lot of better passers in the league, ever, at his position.”

This was the Sixers’ ninth game without Embiid. There has been a thought that the four-time All-Star would return Thursday night in Cleveland if he reaches all of his “milestones.”

Until he returns, Howard is the only center available. But on Monday, Rivers said things will probably remain that way for the next two games (Denver and Cleveland) before the Sixers get back to their normal rotation. That leads one to believe Embiid would return on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Wells Fargo Center.

Rivers was asked if his comments meant he expected Embiid back on Saturday.

“I don’t know,” Rivers said. “But whenever Joel comes back, we’re going to go back to our normal rotation. But I have no idea. He’s close. I can tell you that he’s working every day.”

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The coach gets daily progress reports. He said Embiid looks good and is doing well.

The center has to clear certain medical steps before team doctors permit him to play. Rivers also doesn’t want to rush the big man back.

“If you can come back and keep playing, then you are healthy,” he said. “But if you can come back and play one game or two games and then you have to sit, then you’re not ready yet, if you know what I’m saying.

“So we want to make sure when Joel comes back, he’s back, not in and out. I think that’s very important.”

On Tuesday, Howard got off to a solid offensive start. The 17th-year veteran scored six of the Sixers’ first eight points. The problem was that he and his teammates committed costly turnovers and had a tough time making stops.

As a result, the Nuggets led 19-8 with 6 minutes, 54 seconds left in the first quarter. They made 8 of 12 shots at that time, with four of their points coming off three Sixers turnovers.

Denver went on to take a 44-22 lead into the second quarter. The Nuggets made 7 of 10 first-quarter three-pointers. Murray (16 points) and Porter Jr. (14) combined to score 30 of the Nuggets’ first-quarter points.

The Sixers pulled within six points (101-95) on Tyrese Maxey’s layup with 22.1 seconds left.

Simmons was asked what was the biggest difference in the game. Was it effort? The Nuggets making shots?

“The Altitude,” he said of adjusting to playing in Denver, which situated at a high altitude of 5,280 feet (one mile high) above sea level. “I think that was the first thing. I think guys were a little shook and tired at the start. But you know that also affects your communication, guys are a little tired.

“But we just didn’t come to play.”

He noted Denver’s 66.7% shooting in the first quarter was tough to overcome, especially with an early 20-point lead.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Simmons said. “They really punched us, and we [didn’t] really fight back until that third [quarter].”