Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, and Kelly Oubre Jr. go cold in the Sixers’ loss to the Bucks

Tobias Harris pushed the ball in transition during Sunday’s fourth quarter, as the 76ers tried to stage a final rally against the Milwaukee Bucks. But Harris opted not to attempt to barrel around, above, or through the athletically towering Giannis Antetokounmpo near the basket, instead passing to teammate Buddy Hield in the paint. Hield then dished out to Kelly Oubre Jr., who missed a three-pointer.

That epitomized how the Sixers’ offense stagnated in a 119-98 loss to the Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center, their latest sputtering performance without reigning MVP Joel Embiid. Though All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey totaled 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting and seven assists, next-in-line scorers Harris, Hield, and Oubre combined to shoot an atrocious 12-of-39 from the floor — including 4-of-17 from beyond the arc — during an afternoon when the Sixers made 37.1% of their shots overall.

“It’s not enough when you have a group of your starting guys that, all together, aren’t firing,” coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “You can’t expect everybody to have a good shooting night, but when two or three of them [are struggling] … that’s guys we need to score and make some shots.”

A Sixers offense that was one of the NBA’s most efficient before Embiid’s knee surgery has done more than slip. It has tumbled to 23rd in that category (111.6 points per 100 possessions) during the 14 games since Embiid’s late scratch in a Jan. 27 matchup at the Denver Nuggets. The teams worse during that stretch — the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Memphis Grizzlies — are primarily a collection of the league’s bottom-dwellers.

Sunday was the second time in the Sixers’ first three games out of the All-Star break that they failed to reach 100 points, an outing Nurse described as “deflating.”

The Sixers (33-24) dug themselves a 14-point first-quarter hole by going 7-of-28 from the floor and 3-of-14 from beyond the arc. They finally generated some rhythm in the third period, using a 7-for-12 outburst from three-point range to slice a 23-point deficit to 11. But then they managed only 16 points in the final frame, allowing the Bucks to finish off a comfortable win.

Those offensive struggles do not solely fall on Harris, Hield, and Oubre, their coach stressed. Nurse lamented that his team fired too many attempts early in the shot clock, capping one-pass or no-pass possessions. Starting center Paul Reed, who provided an energetic 13 points and eight rebounds, sat much of the second half with five fouls. Nurse added that the Sixers offense must become more “organized,” a word Maxey reiterated during his media session a few minutes later.

Still, Harris, Hield, and Oubre are the most capable options to help make up for Embiid’s 35.3 points per game.

Hield, a veteran sharpshooter acquired at the Feb. 8 trade deadline, acknowledges he is still getting acclimated to his new teammates. Three of the Sixers’ rotation players — Nico Batum, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Lowry — were not on the floor for Hield’s first four games, and practice time has been limited before and after the break. Before Sunday, Hield struggled in the Sixers’ loss to the New York Knicks but delivered the game-clinching three-pointer in a victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers the following night.

“You’ve got to figure out a way to pick and choose your spots to score the basketball and be aggressive, but also get others involved,” said Hield, who has also flashed playmaking ability since joining the Sixers. “There’s always a learning curve. … Hopefully, we’ll figure it out soon.”

Oubre’s role, meanwhile, has fluctuated. An instant-offense sixth man — who can utilize his athleticism to get downhill and in transition, but must boost his 31.5% shooting from long range — might be his best fit within the Sixers’ current roster construction. Yet Oubre cut off a postgame question about his “individual” play Sunday, saying he preferred to talk about the team as a whole.

Harris’ offensive struggles are the most glaring — because of his experience, his past production, and his lucrative salary.

The veteran forward was booed during Sunday’s second quarter when he missed a driving layup that dropped him to 2-for-7 from the floor. And when he air-balled a three-pointer in the third quarter, Bucks defender Malik Beasley hollered and flexed, then high-fived former Sixers coach-turned-Bucks coach Doc Rivers on the bench.

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Harris has connected on only 12 of his 34 shot attempts in the three games since the All-Star break, though Nurse characterized Harris’ 15-point, nine-rebound, four-assist effort against the Cavaliers as “really good” and “active.” Following Sunday’s game, Maxey took the blame for not setting Harris up in the spots on the floor where he is most comfortable. Nurse added that he wants to see Harris get out in transition more frequently, to elevate for putbacks, and to find looks when sets are drawn for him and in the offense’s overall flow.

“I’m a person that prides myself on efficiency,” said Harris, who also spent much of the game guarding Antetokounmpo. “That’s at the forefront of my game: finding some easy baskets out there on the floor, and some easy looks for myself to get going, and just stay with it.”

When Harris misfired on a corner three-pointer with less than seven minutes to play, though, Nurse took him and Hield out of the game. The coach reinserted Hield about three minutes later, and he sank two three-pointers down the stretch.

Consider those empty stats. The Bucks had already again blown the game open. Because the Sixers’ offense had already stagnated.

“Obviously, the way that we’ve been playing,” Harris said, “we’ve got to figure out a way to get a little bit more structure there in the halfcourt offense. Just keep being aggressive and looking for the shots when they’re there.

“But outside of that, keep making the right play.”