Sixers’ dreadful first half dooms them in 103-95 loss to New Orleans Pelicans

The boos inside the Wells Fargo Center began early Friday night when a KJ Martin three-point attempt sailed over the rim without a graze.

They continued when Zion Williamson blocked Paul Reed inside. And when Buddy Hield whiffed on a fast-break layup attempt. And when Nick Nurse called timeout with 6:15 remaining in the second quarter, his team already trailing by 30 points.

Those frustrated reactions shifted to cheers late in the fourth quarter, while the shorthanded Sixers were in the midst of a stunning final charge. But their dreadful first half was too much to overcome in a 103-95 loss to continue their slide while playing without injured stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

“You’re certainly not very proud of the way the team came out and played the first half, right?” coach Nick Nurse said. “And then you’re pretty proud of the way they fought back in it. They actually almost gave themselves a chance. One or two more breaks down the stretch, and maybe another two minutes on the clock, we might have had a shot.

“I mean, I don’t know what else to say. It wasn’t very pretty in the first half, and we got a little tougher and started executing the defensive schemes that we planned on executing in the first half ... and it took us a long way.”

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The blowout-turned-nail-biting defeat was another blow to the Sixers’ postseason positioning. The Sixers (35-28) entered the night sitting in seventh place in a tight Eastern Conference, where 2½ games separate fourth place and eighth.

Maxey missed his third consecutive game with a concussion. The All-Star point guard has begun the protocol steps to return — including a workout scheduled for Friday night — and Nurse expressed optimism that Maxey could return as soon as Sunday’s game at the New York Knicks.

Yet Maxey could not provide the offense the Sixers desperately needed against the Pelicans.

They began a horrendous 9-of-38 from the floor and missed 18 of their first 20 three-point attempts to trail by as many as 35 points in the second quarter. Tobias Harris, who is expected to shoulder more offensive load when Embiid and Maxey are sidelined, went 2-of-7 before the break. Hield missed all five of his shots in the first half, and eventually finished 2-of-10 from the floor.

The Sixers, though, were not much better on the other end in the first half, allowing the Pelicans to shoot 56.1% from the field and 9-of-17 from beyond the arc.

That prevented the Sixers from fully closing the gap, even during a much-improved second half.

They began the third quarter on a 21-8 run, capped by a Hield three-pointer to make the score 71-55 with 3:37 remaining in the frame. But Williamson scored seven points, including a finish through contact and free throw, in about two minutes of game action before a Naji Marshall deep shot pushed New Orleans’ lead back out to 84-59 in the period’s final minute.

And when a Harris finish inside — which followed back-to-back three-pointers by Kelly Oubre Jr. and Reed — got the Sixers within 98-92 with 1:24 to play, Williamson answered with a driving finish at the rim. Herb Jones then followed a Jeff Dowtin Jr. three-pointer with his own deep shot to seal the Pelicans’ win.

Harris led the Sixers with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Oubre added 20 points and seven rebounds. Reed finished with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting and 11 rebounds, returning to an off-the-bench role as Mo Bamba (two points, six rebounds in 18 minutes) started to match up against traditional center Jonas Valančiūnas.

The Sixers will play nine of their next 12 games on the road, starting with two consecutive matchups at the Knicks on Sunday and Tuesday. After that, they will face the surging Milwaukee Bucks — and former coach Doc Rivers — on Thursday.