Doc Rivers and the Sixers are struggling to solve their bench problem: ‘They have to seize the moment’

Bones Hyland stuck his tongue out in celebration after splashing his third three-pointer in 71 seconds, helping the Denver Nuggets flip a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit into a six-point advantage while reigning MVP Nikola Jokic got his final rest of the night.

That the Nuggets’ bench outscored the 76ers’ second players 48-14 was the difference in the Sixers’ 114-110 loss Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Yet that stark discrepancy also emphasized some deeper personnel issues surrounding stars Joel Embiid and James Harden that the Sixers still must smooth out with 15 regular-season games to go, starting with Wednesday night’s game at Cleveland.

“We haven’t established it yet,” coach Doc Rivers said of the bench after Monday’s loss. “But we will.”

Rivers said before Monday’s game that his roster has “11 guys that can play” rotation minutes, though he acknowledged one’s vantage point could interpret that as a good thing or a bad thing.

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The numbers illustrate that the Sixers’ reserves have, at best, been inconsistent all season. They entered Tuesday ranked 26th in the NBA in bench scoring (27.2 points per game) — a figure that has dipped to 24.1 points per game, which was 29th in the league, in their nine contests since the All-Star break.

Though production often covers more than scoring, especially from role players on a team with the NBA’s leader in points per game, that group also ranked second-to-last in the league in field-goal shooting (39.4%), rebounding (12.1 per game) and assists (4.1 per game) over that nine-game period, with a plus-minus of minus-1.2 (18th in the NBA).

After playing with all-bench units at times earlier this season, Rivers is now staggering the starters’ minutes by pairing Embiid with Tyrese Maxey and Harden with Tobias Harris, while mixing in the reserves who complement those players’ skills.

Stretch forward Georges Niang, who is averaging a career-best 9.5 points per game, has been the most reliable bench contributor. He helps space the floor as a near 40% three-point shooter, can play small-ball center against certain opposing lineups, and is an emotional spark plug. Yet his defensive limitations sometimes made him unplayable during the postseason when he was with the Utah Jazz. And though he gave the Sixers an additional offensive threat down the stretch of Sunday’s overtime win in Orlando, Rivers acknowledged Niang’s legs were “dead” in a 2-of-12 outing against the Nuggets the following night.

Veteran wing Danny Green, who went 0-for-5 from the field with four rebounds in 14 minutes in his return from a finger laceration Monday, is putting up his lowest scoring numbers since becoming an NBA rotation player more than a decade ago.

Part of those struggles are surely due to a season constantly interrupted by hip and hamstring injuries before the finger, along with a stint in COVID-19 health and safety protocols. At 34, Green could also be showing signs of physical decline, and of wear-and-tear from an abundance of basketball dating back to his bubble championship run with the Los Angeles Lakers 17 months (and two seasons) ago. If the Sixers face teams such as the Boston Celtics or Brooklyn Nets with multiple scoring wings in the playoffs, however, Green will be needed as a defender with Matisse Thybulle.

Backup center also remains a question after Andre Drummond’s late inclusion in the Harden trade more than a month ago. Buyout addition DeAndre Jordan immediately supplanted Paul Millsap, a career power forward who was miscast in that role since joining the Sixers with Harden. Though Rivers said Monday that Jordan has “really bought into what we’re trying to do” by rolling and running the floor, he went 1-for-6 against Denver.

Shake Milton, who missed more than a month with a back injury, went from backup point guard to an unpredictable catch-all perimeter role that saw him play just eight minutes Monday. Furkan Korkmaz, who is shooting just 29.1% from three-point range, has been pushed out of the rotation for now. Second-year guard Isaiah Joe played over Korkmaz during Sunday’s win in Orlando, even with Green still out with the finger injury.

“It’s a competition,” Rivers said of those challenging for those final perimeter spots. “It just is, and that’s good. … That’s what makes teams really good, and when guys don’t play, they understand that and be ready for the next opponent.

“And when guys do play, they have to seize the moment. That’s what this is all about.”

NBA rotations tighten during the playoffs. Rivers provided a taste of who he trusts most when he used only eight players for the meaningful minutes of last week’s blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets, saying, “We were getting our tails kicked, and we wanted to play our best guys.”

Yet opportunity for more players should arise during the regular season’s final three-plus weeks.

The Sixers play four more games from Wednesday to Monday, including a Sunday-Monday home back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors and East-leading Miami Heat. Though only 3 ½ games separated second and sixth place in the East entering Tuesday, Rivers said last weekend that the coaching and training staffs have already identified games they plan to rest heavy-minute players such as Embiid, Harden, and Maxey. Embiid subbing himself out midway through the first quarter of Monday’s game, which Rivers acknowledged “screwed up” the Sixers’ sub patterns, was an indicator of the fatigue he is feeling at this juncture of the season.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid outplayed Nikola Jokic, but MVP might be his only trophy | David Murphy

Denver’s bench, meanwhile, looked sharp nearing the end of a season during which it has solidified roles while playing without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., their second- and third-best players. They entered Tuesday ranked 12th in the NBA in bench scoring at 36.4 points per game.

The difference between both units was apparent as the Nuggets made their fourth-quarter surge without Jokic on the floor. Hyland and DeMarcus Cousins provided the flash by bombing away from outside. Yet when Rivers studied the box score during his postgame news conference, he noted that every Nuggets reserve had a positive plus/minus rating, while every Denver starter had a negative plus/minus rating.

The exact opposite was true for the Sixers.

“It’s their bench that hurt us tonight,” Rivers said, “and that’s disappointing.”