Sixers Let Late Lead Go To Waste in Latest Loss

Report From Philadelphia 76ers

Game Recap: Nuggets 108, 76ers 105

Snapshot: Despite a prolific first half, the 76ers (1-20) were unable to fend off a late surge from the Denver Nuggets (8-13), which pulled out a 108-105 victory at The Center Saturday afternoon. The defeat snapped the Sixers’ three-game winning streak against Denver. The Nuggets outscored the Sixers by 11 points in the fourth quarter, and, with 2:41 remaining in the period, strung together a decisive 10-0 run that positioned themselves to finish their five-game road trip on a positive note.

The Sixers received a potent, efficient, and balanced offensive effort in the loss. They reached the 100-point mark for the sixth time this season, scoring a season-best 59 points by intermission. The team also converted 50.0 percent of its field goal attempts, marking the group’s second most-accurate shooting performance. Seven of the Sixers’ 10 players that appeared in the game notched double-figures. Robert Covington paced the club on both ends with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The double-double was his second of the fall.

Danilo Gallinari was a major factor in fueling Denver’s comeback, manufacturing 18 of his 24 points between the third and fourth quarters. His dunk with 47 seconds to play put the Nuggets ahead for good. In a game that featured five ties and nine lead changes, Denver knocked down seven more free throws than the Sixers, doing so while taking an additional 12 attempts from the stripe. The Nuggets also forced the Sixers into 20 turnovers, three of which came in the final four minutes of the game.

Top Moment:

In helping the Sixers build their lead to a game-high 11 points in the third quarter, rookie forward Richaun Holmes tallied all 10 of his points in the frame, knocking down each of his four shots. During the sequence captured in the link below, Holmes fought his way through a triple-team to earn an And-1. He was set-up by Tony Wroten, who made first appearance of the season.

http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-philadelphia-76ers/highlights-wroten…

Brett Brown Said – On the Sixers’ offensive output versus Denver:

“I thought we did a good job offensively for the large majority of the game. We shot 50.0 percent, had a lot of turnovers, and shared the ball. I just felt like when it gets down to that period, and the defense heats up, our team isn’t designed to create its own shots.”

Of Note:

Saturday marked Tony Wroten’s season debut. He had been sidelined since January 13th, 2015, when he tore the ACL in his right knee against the Atlanta Hawks. The four-year veteran first checked into the game with 4:40 left in the first quarter, and received a nice hand from the crowd. On his first touch, Wroten drew defensive attention on a hard move to the basket. Rather than take a shot, he instead laid a pass off to Jerami Grant, who delivered a slam dunk.

In all, Wroten produced four points, going 2-7 from the floor. Five of his attempts were via drives to the rim. He also had three assists, and five turnovers.

“I think he was good in that little window of time that we had him,” said Brett Brown. Wroten was given a playing time restriction of 14 minutes before the game. He ended up logging 13 minutes, nine of which came in the first half.

“You can see he adds a burst to our program. You can see that he was rusty, as he should be after not playing for [10] months. We used up our minutes in the period of time that we were allotted, and I thought he was good.”

Wroten left the contest for good late in the third quarter.

In order to add veteran point guards Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall to the active roster on Friday, the Sixers needed to make space. Subsequently, they released Phil Pressey. The move left T.J. McConnell as the third point man on the depth chart. Before Saturday’s game, Brett Brown spoke highly of the Pittsburgh native’s value to the team.

“It’s almost kind of where do you begin,” said Brown. “First, there is an incredible passion and energy. There is a toughness. There’s all that. He’s learning now how to be an NBA point guard, and the league scouts him to shoot. They go under everything. When he drives, they don’t guard him. They stay connected to our shooters on the perimeter. He’s figuring out, ‘How do I not dribble too much and still run an offense?’ That’s a normal growth of an NBA point guard.”

The Sixers’ recent personnel moves resulted in McConnell assuming a bulk of the point guard minutes (30) Saturday.

“I think it’s the hardest position in our league, to be an NBA point guard,” Brown said, discussing the task that McConnell has taken on for the Sixers. “Especially a young, undrafted NBA point guard. And so, he’s been given a massive responsbility with a bunch of fellow young players, and I see the growth in him. He doesn’t crumble. It’s not like he second-guesses much. I truly just love his passion and his toughness.”

McConnell flirted with a triple-double, generating 10 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. He also swiped six steals and committed just one turnover.

The rookie starting point guards in Saturday’s game traveled dramatically different paths to reach the first confrontation of their professional careers. T.J. McConnell, as Brett Brown outlined above, was a rookie free agent who earned his way on to the Sixers’ Opening Day roster following a four-season collegiate career. Mudiay, a native of the Congo who played high school basketball in the Dallas area before heading overseas to China, was consistently viewed as a top-10, if not top-five, option in the run-up to the 2015 NBA Draft.

Heading into the weekend, there were no two players from this year’s draft class that have been more productive at the point guard position than McConnell and Mudiay. While McConnell hasn’t scored at the rate or volume of Mudiay, he arguably has been the more effective facilitator.

Denver head coach Mike Malone spoke prior to tip-off about the series of questions he and the Nuggets staff examine to evaluate Mudiay on a game-in, game-out basis.

“Is he running his team as a point guard in the NBA?,” said Malone. “You got to run your team. Is he understanding good shot, bad shot? Is he valuing the basketball? Is he getting his teammates involved while not turning the ball over? And, is he guarding his position? Is he containing the ball? Is he having discipline within the gameplan with the right coverages? He’s 19 years old, and he’s had some very good moments for us, and he’s had some other learning moments. That’s going to happen. And by the end of the year, we hope to have more great moments than teaching, and by next year, he’ll be much better off for all the experience that he’s gaining from this year.”

Mudiay played 31:30, and had 10 points (4-12 fg), five rebounds, six assists, and seven turnovers.

Next Up:

The Sixers’ brief two-game stint at home comes to an end on Monday at 7:00 PM EST, when they face the San Antonio Spurs (16-4) for the second and final time this season. Less than a month ago, on November 14th, the teams squared off at AT&T Center. San Antonio managed to survive a late push from the Sixers, during which Brett Brown’s team nearly pulled themselves out of an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit. However, after drawing within four points with less than three minutes to go, the Sixers committed turnovers on four straight possessions, helping the Spurs survive for a 92-83 victory. Not surprisingly, San Antonio finds itself in the upper echelon of the Western Conference, second in the standings only to the Golden State Warriors. In doing his part to lead the Spurs to the top defensive efficiency in the NBA, 39-year old Tim Duncan, averaging 9.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, was tabbed the league’s Defensive Player of the Month for November. LaMarcus Aldridge, who signed this off-season, is accounting for 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.