"We Just Didn't Play Very Well" - Brief Thoughts on Nuggets 104, Sixers 95
We don’t need to spend a lot of time talking about that game.
The Sixers gave up 44 first quarter points. They didn’t hit enough three pointers. We saw a second half push with a good defensive effort, but it was just too little, too late in Denver.
“It was one of those games where we looked like we were running in quicksand,” said Doc Rivers. “They attacked us early. We never really recovered from it. We got into a scrum at the end of the game, but that was what it was. They were better prepared and definitely more ready individually. As a group they were better. No excuses, we just didn’t play very well.”
And how about Ben Simmons, who went for 11 points, two rebounds, and three assists and has seen his numbers dip in recent games?
“He’s gotta play better and we all have to play better,” Rivers said.
The head coach then went on to deliver a quote that, for some reason, made me laugh out loud:
“We just did not perform well. Not a lot of excuses, we just didn’t. There were so many areas where we were bad, for me to just point out one, would be unfair to the other bad areas.”
And thus ends the recap of this forgettable game.
Here’s where my head is at:
If I told you that the Sixers would be 6-3 in Joel Embiid’s absence, with a possible return coming this weekend, wouldn’t you take it? They’re tied with the Nets for first in the East and can stay in that position if they beat Cleveland on Thursday, to wrap up a brutal, six-game road trip. Considering that they could have fallen a few games behind both Brooklyn and Milwaukee, the position they currently find themselves in is absolutely fine.
There’s a chance to go 7-3 without Embiid, assuming he returns on Saturday, as Rivers alluded to earlier in the week. And there’s also a chance to go 4-2 on a six-game road trip. They will be 3-3 on this road trip, at worst. You will absolutely take .500 on a six-game swing. Four wins out of six would be amazing.
When you frame it this way, things look just fine. No problem. They lost their best player at an inopportune time and will likely come out of that period with a winning record. Previous iterations of this team would have face planted without Embiid in the lineup, but the fact that they were not only able to steady the ship, but stay atop the conference, says a lot to me about the makeup of this squad.
It was a crap loss on Tuesday night, but come Saturday, Sunday, or maybe next week, we’re gonna be looking at a time that’s adding Joel Embiid and George Hill and still has a 100% legitimate shot at claiming the top seed going into the playoffs.
It’s all good. The outlook is good.