Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse addressed each late-game execution and roster uncertainty after a 113-102 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night time at Toyota Heart. The defeat got here as Philadelphia continues its push for playoff positioning within the Jap Convention.
Nurse additionally confirmed he had restricted data concerning Joel Embiid following surgery. “Nope, not but. Not but,” Nurse mentioned when requested for updates. “Reached out to him a bit bit. We’ll see. In all probability speak to him a bit bit later.”
He added that the medical particulars have been nonetheless unclear from his perspective. “I don’t presently. I most likely have some extra data for you pregame tomorrow,” Nurse mentioned when requested in regards to the process.
The 76ers briefly confirmed life within the fourth quarter, slicing into a big Houston lead with a powerful scoring run. Nurse pointed to a lineup change and improved execution as the important thing shift.
“Simply the principle drawback we had tonight was taking good care of the ball they usually lower the turnovers down and we began making some pictures,” Nurse mentioned.
He emphasised that Philadelphia’s early errors formed the end result lengthy earlier than the closing minutes. “First half was simply turnovers, proper?” Nurse mentioned. “It was actually uncharacteristic of us to try this.”
Nurse defined that lots of these turnovers got here with out heavy strain, which made the possession losses extra pricey. “We have been simply sort of beating a man down the lane and the following factor you recognize the ball was squirting up within the air,” he mentioned.
The Rockets repeatedly turned these errors into fast-break factors. Nurse described these possessions as decisive in constructing the halftime hole. “They scored on nearly everybody if not everybody,” he mentioned. “It’s decide six on these. And that’s simply your 20 level distinction on the half proper there.”
Philadelphia’s fourth-quarter push was fueled by higher ball management and improved shot-making, significantly from Quentin Grimes and the bench unit. Nurse mentioned that group deserved prolonged minutes attributable to its impression.
“Yep. They have been rolling,” Nurse mentioned when requested about sticking with the lineup that sparked the comeback try.
The Sixers trimmed the deficit to single digits late, however Houston responded with key three-pointers to close the door. Nurse acknowledged the hassle however famous the missed alternative.
“They received it I feel we received it to seven,” Nurse mentioned. “In all probability ought to have been six there with about 3 minutes to go after which they answered with a pair threes.”
Wanting forward, Nurse burdened urgency because the common season nears its conclusion. “We simply received to recover from it as a result of the video games are right here,” he mentioned. “As soon as the ball goes up we received to zero in on taking part in nice group basketball.”
Philadelphia now shifts focus to its subsequent matchup, whereas Embiid’s standing stays a central storyline shifting ahead.
