Porous defense dooms Sixers in 144-109 loss at Denver Nuggets, seventh straight loss

DENVER — Aaron Gordon snuck past Adem Bona, leaving the Nuggets’ DeAndre Jordan free for a rim-rocking dunk.

It capped off an awful defensive performance by the 76ers, who dropped their seventh straight game in a 144-109 blowout loss Tuesday night at Ball Arena. After the game, multiple sources told The Inquirer they could hear the screams coming from the visitors’ locker room, which shares a wall with where the Nuggets’ postgame press conferences take place.

“It all comes down to us not being ready to go from the start,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I just talked to them about a few simple things. … Just never really got into the game enough to make enough of a fight defensively. We were back on our heels all the time, didn’t communicate well enough, weren’t physical enough to stand them up.

“In the open floor, we had guys back and they beat us all the way to the basket and put it in. We just didn’t hold them up all night.”

This night would never live up to its “Rivals Week” designation by the NBA, with 2023 MVP Joel Embiid sidelined with a swollen knee and unable to match up against three-time MVP and fellow spectacular center Nikola Jokic, who recorded his league season-best 19th triple-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

» READ MORE: Doc Rivers understands Sixers’ struggles without Joel Embiid: ‘It’s just tough’

Still, the Sixers’ porous defense was primarily to blame for the loss. They gave up 39 fast-break points (the most by a Denver team in 15 years) and 23 second-chance points, allowing the Nuggets (27-16) to shoot 61.2% from the floor and 16- of-31 from three-point range, and gave up a season high in points. And it spoiled a night when the Sixers (15-27), who entered Tuesday in the bottom 10 in the NBA in offensive efficiency, field goal percentage and three-point percentage, shot 52.1% overall and 13-of-29 from beyond the arc through three quarters, before both teams emptied their benches.

Tyrese Maxey initially tried to keep the Sixers in the game with his shooting, scoring 19 of his 28 points in the first half and also finishing with 10 assists. Guerschon Yabusele added 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting off the bench, while Paul George had 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds in each player’s return from a two-game absence due to injury.

A Maxey floater briefly got the Sixers within eight in the opening minute of the third quarter, but Denver responded with an extended 24-12 run to push their lead to 20 points on a Russell Westbrook steal and layup.

Denver jumped out to a 12-point advantage in the first quarter, fueled by 18 fast break points and 11 points and four assists from Jokic. In the next frame, as Maxey used a layup through contact and a three-pointer to get the Sixers within 49-44, a deep shot from Julian Strawther sparked a 13-6 Denver run to push its lead back to double digits. That gap grew to 23 points on a Jokic three-pointer late in the third quarter and then to 35 on a Hunter Tyson three-pointer in the final minute.

Things don’t get any easier from here for the Sixers, who next play a home road back-to-back against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls, the team they’re chasing for the 10th spot in the standings.