Tyrese Maxey’s 42 points not enough as Sixers fall to Denver Nuggets, 137-134

Tyrese Maxey drove to the basket possession after possession, nearly matching the down-the-stretch scoring of Nikola Jokić.

But the Denver Nuggets’ three-time NBA Most Valuable Player capped his latest fourth-quarter brilliance with what turned out to be the game-sealing bucket. Jokić hit a floater with 12.7 seconds remaining to best Maxey’s 42 points, and push the Nuggets to a 137-134 victory over the 76ers in a highly entertaining matchup Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

“Looking back on it, obviously, real disappointed that he got the ball and got to make most of the plays down the stretch,” said coach Nick Nurse after the game. " ... Obviously, we would have liked to try to make somebody else handle or shoot or beat us or whatever. At least live with that. But we couldn’t quite get it done.”

The loss snapped the 19-28 Sixers’ four-game winning streak, which had followed a defensive debacle in a 144-109 Jan. 21 loss in Denver that elicited screaming from the postgame locker room. When asked before Friday’s game if he sensed an extra motivation from his team entering the rematch against the Nuggets (29-19), Nurse said, “I hope so.”

» READ MORE: The 76ers’ owners have officially bid to bring a WNBA team to Philadelphia

Friday’s contest was far more competitive, with neither team leading by double digits or creating any real separation until the waning seconds.

But Jokić was the catalyst of the Nuggets’ victorious finish, scoring 11 of his 28 points in the final 2:11. His three-pointer tied the score at 125, before a pass to Christian Braun for an under-the-basket finish pushed the Nuggets ahead by one. Then, Jokić took advantage of a matchup against the undersized Maxey, backing him down for the and-1 finish and free throw. Another deep shot gave the Nuggets a 133-130 lead with 39.8 seconds to go, before Maxey drew a foul and sank both free throws before Jokić’s final driving bucket.

Jokić — the defending MVP and a front-runner to win the award for the fourth time in his career — narrowly missed his league-leading 22nd triple-double of the season by also compiling nine rebounds and 13 assists.

Maxey, in his first game since learning he had been left off the All-Star reserves roster, notched his fourth consecutive 30-point outing and also finished with nine assists. Guerschon Yabusle added a career-high 28 points on an efficient 12-of-17 shooting from the field, including a high-flying alley-oop finish after rookie Justin Edwards spun past Russell Westbrook and delivered the lob pass. Oubre added 27 points, five assists, and seven rebounds for the Sixers, who racked up 32 fastbreak points and 30 points off 19 Nuggets turnovers.

It also was another game the Sixers played without injured stars Joel Embiid (knee) — officially preventing a premier center matchup against Jokić during the 2024-25 regular season — and Paul George (finger).

Nurse said before Friday’s game that a Saturday workout would be a significant determining factor in Embiid’s timeline to return, and George’s status is still considered day-to-day. Sixers rotation players Caleb Martin (hip), Andre Drummond (toe), and KJ Martin (foot) also were out.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey not selected as All-Star reserve, Sixers shut out of NBA showcase

The Nuggets’ largest lead came at 21-12, when Jokić finished off an old-fashioned three-point play at the 6:13 mark of the first quarter. The Sixers answered with a 13-3 run, capped by a three-pointer by Maxey, to seize a 25-24 advantage at the 2:56 mark of the period.

The teams went back and forth through the second quarter, and the Nuggets led, 73-69, at the break after shooting a blistering 66.7% from the floor with 22 assists on 28 made baskets. The Sixers kept pace by making 13 of their 24 three-point attempts and scoring 13 points off eight Nuggets turnovers.

The Sixers will continue this six-game homestand Sunday against the defending-champion Boston Celtics (6 p.m., ESPN, NBCSP), before a back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat on Tuesday and Wednesday.