Shorthanded Sixers sputter on both ends of the court vs. the Brooklyn Nets, suffer fifth loss in six games

The boos for Ben Simmons began as soon as he walked toward the scorer’s table with about seven minutes to play in the first quarter.

But as Saturday’s game descended into a blowout, faint chants of “Broooooklyyyyn” poked through a quiet (or departing) Wells Fargo Center crowd.

The 76ers continued to slide while missing four starters in a 136-121 loss to the Nets, their fifth loss in six games and an unwelcome homecoming following a 1-4 road trip that dropped them to fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers (30-18) also fell to 4-10 this season without reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who remains sidelined with a lateral meniscus injury. Coach Nick Nurse said pregame that the organization is “still waiting” on a specific diagnosis and treatment plan. Tobias Harris (illness), Nico Batum (hamstring), and De’Anthony Melton (spine) also did not play, while Paul Reed was fighting an illness and Mo Bamba got “banged up” during the game, Nurse said.

“That first game back [after a long road trip] is always difficult,” Nurse said, “and we didn’t just seem to have much juice or life or anything. [We] certainly didn’t execute some of the stuff we wanted to defensively. ... It was a tough man-power night. I still don’t like to use excuses about anything. We still should have tried to play a little better, especially at the defensive end.”

» READ MORE: The Sixers have no choice. They have to ride with Joel Embiid until his career here ends. | Mike Sielski

The Sixers’ makeshift starting five and second unit sputtered on both ends, shooting less than 40% from the floor through three quarters while allowing the Nets (20-28) to finish 51.6% from the field, including 20-of-51 from three-point range.

The Sixers went 7-of-23 from the floor in the first quarter — and allowed the Nets to go 15-of-24 — to quickly fall into a 16-point hole. That deficit grew to 49-24 when Cam Thomas buried a three-pointer early in the second quarter. Seeking any boost, Nurse put two-way player Ricky Council IV on the floor in the second quarter.

Without Embiid and Harris, the Sixers’ primary offensive threats failed to generate consistent rhythm. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, fresh off his career-best 51-point outburst in Thursday’s win at Utah, started 2-of-11 from the floor before finishing with 23 points and five assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. (16 points, four rebounds) missed his first seven shots and finished 3-of-14 from the floor (though he went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line by attacking the rim).

Simmons, the reviled former Sixers guard who was traded two years ago this coming week, finished with nine rebounds and five assists — but did not attempt a shot — in 14 minutes while absorbing the crowd’s displeasure every time he touched the ball. Thomas led all scorers with 40 points on 14-of-26 shooting (including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc) to go with five assists and three rebounds. Mikal Bridges, the Philly native and former Villanova standout and Sixers lottery draft pick, finished with 23 points, three rebounds, and four assists.

After the Sixers briefly trimmed the gap to 67-53 on two Oubre free throws in the third quarter’s first minute, Brooklyn quickly answered with a 9-0 spurt capped by Thomas following a technical free throw with a bucket inside. The Nets’ advantage grew to as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter, after Nurse emptied his bench early in the frame and Patrick Beverley was ejected with 8 minutes, 38 seconds left.

The Sixers will continue their four-game homestand Monday against the Dallas Mavericks (7 p.m., NBCSP) before facing the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., ESPN, NBCSP) and the Atlanta Hawks on Friday (7 p.m., NBCSP).