Undermanned Sixers fight hard, but are doomed by poor fourth-quarter shooting in loss to Nuggets

DENVER — The 76ers made things competitive, after all.

The Sixers and Denver Nuggets were supposed to square off in star-studded game, featuring two of the league’s best players in Philly’s Joel Embiid and Denver’s Nikola Jokić.

Well, the fans didn’t get to see Embiid battle Jokić. Nor did they get a glimpse of Tyrese Maxey go head-to-head with Denver point guard Jamal Murray. With Tobias Harris out with illness and De’Anthony Melton still nursing a bad back, Nico Batum was the Sixers’ only regular starter who played.

The Sixers almost pulled it off, but the Nuggets barely escaped with a 111-105 victory Saturday night at Ball Arena.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris will miss Saturday’s game vs. Denver Nuggets

“Listen, we got to go out there and do the best we can and execute the game plan and fight as hard as we can, right?” coach Nick Nurse said. “You are searching for things that you haven’t had to search for all year because so many guys are in so many different positions.”

After responding from an awful start, the Sixers’ confidence grew.

“I always say chemistry will build as the games go on in these types of games as guys get used to who’s out there and who’s playing and you just find yourself,” Nurse said.

Maxey and Harris were ruled out 90 minutes before the game. Embiid was then scratched right before tipoff. Melton has missed 10 of the last 12 games with a back injury.

Depleted, the Sixers’ starting lineup consisted of Batum, Marcus Morris Sr., Paul Reed, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Patrick Beverley. That group, along with reserves KJ Martin, Danuel House Jr., Furkan Korkmaz, and Jaden Springer, gave the Nuggets a run for their money.

Reed finished with a career-high 30 points to go with 13 rebounds. The 6-foot-9 center outplayed Jokić, who had 26 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists, for long stretches of the game.

Meanwhile, Oubre (25 points), Morris (17), and Beverley (17 points and 11 assists) were the other double-figure scorers. But as hard as the Sixers played, they were doomed by poor (tired?) fourth-quarter shooting.

They made just six of 21 shots in the quarter, including 1-for-7 from three.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid continues to downplay his rivalry with Nikola Jokić: ‘It’s a matchup between Denver and Philly’

Morris scored all of his points in the first half on 7-for-9 shooting. However, he missed all seven of his shots after intermission. The Nuggets also benefited from a 38-16 free-throw-attempt advantage. Jokić went 10-of-16 from the foul line.

As a result, the Sixers dropped to 29-15 and suffered their second straight loss. Meanwhile, the Nuggets improved to 32-15.

“Not good enough, got to be better, got to be better and we will,” Beverley said of the Sixers play. “We have to find ways to win games without guys playing. We got enough talent around the room to get the job done and we came up short tonight, and they shot 38 free throws.”

The reigning MVP is dealing left knee soreness. A source said the Sixers’ athletic care team didn’t like what it saw from the 7-foot-2, 280-pounder during his on-court, pregame warmup and made the decision to shut him down. Embiid was not listed on the pregame injury report. He was booed when he emerged from the locker room to join his team midway through the fourth quarter.

The seven-time All-Star last played in Colorado on Nov. 8, 2019. Back then, Embiid finished with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting to go with 15 rebounds, two assists, one block, and eight turnovers in a 100-97 setback.

When he wasn’t on the bench, Nuggets fans were vocal toward Embiid for missing four straight games here. During the national anthem, a fan yelled “Embiid’s a coward,” drawing cheers. Then, in the first quarter, the crowd chanted “Where’s Embiid At? … Where’s Embiid At? … Where’s Embiid At?” They repeated that chant during various parts of the game.

This comes a year after Denver fans took shots at Embiid for sitting out last season’s game. At that time, there were “MISSING PERSON: JOEL EMBID [sic] AKA ‘THE PROCESS’” signs all over the arena.

While he’s had injuries, some Nuggets fans question if Embiid is avoiding playing Jokić in the Mile High City.

The Sixers travel to Portland Saturday night. They have a practice scheduled Sunday, before facing the Trail Blazers Monday night at Moda Center. The Blazers take a 13-32 record into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. Shooting guard Anfernee Simons is Portland’s leading scorer at 23.7 points per game. Forward Jerami Grant, a former Sixer, is second at 21.1 points. Swingman Matisse Thybulle, another former Sixer, is tied for third in the league in steals at 1.6.