There must have been a memo before the Sixers played host to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night that playing defense was optional. And a high-scoring heavyweight bout ensued.
Riding a four-game winning streak powered by Tyrese Maxey and a cast of role players finding their rhythms, the Joel Embiid- and Paul George-less Sixers welcomed three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić to town looking to avenge the beatdown they had suffered in Denver just 10 days earlier.
The Sixers had no answers for the Nuggets' Jokić-led offense that night, either. This time around, they brought enough offensive firepower to compete until the very end — but not quite enough to win when Jokić completely took over in the final minutes.
Here is what stood out from the Sixers' 137-134 loss on Friday night, putting an end to their encouraging winning streak:
Maxey responds to All-Star snub
Reserves for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game — voted on by head coaches — were revealed on Thursday night. Despite a stellar late push, Maxey fell short of being named an All-Star. The Eastern Conference's reserves at the guard position were Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks and Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat.
Herro is the one Maxey's supporters have taken issue with most, but the fellow Kentucky Wildcat has made a significant leap and helped keep the Heat afloat amid the Jimmy Butler saga. While nobody solely faults Maxey for the Sixers' poor record this season, his slow start in terms of efficiency and an early, extended absence due to a hamstring injury damaged his chances.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse proudly discussed what he believed to be a strong case for Maxey to earn an All-Star nod before and after the reserves were announced, and for what it's worth, ballots from head coaches were due early in the week — before Maxey scored 73 points across a pair of wins against the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings.
Maxey reminded the national television audience of his capabilities early on. After committing three uncharacteristic turnovers in the first two minutes of the game, he locked in completely, totaling 13 points, four assists and two rebounds.
The Sixers and Nuggets traded blows for much of the first quarter.
Maxey turning on his creativity playlist 🎶
That little punch dribble & hesitation before the spin move… skill level on 💯 pic.twitter.com/E8ACOJfpq2— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2025
After a quiet second quarter, Maxey got back to work after the teams returned from their locker rooms, reintroducing himself with a flurry of three-point makes and drives to the basket. He crossed the 30-point mark for the fourth straight game and did so in the third quarter, scoring 16 points in that frame alone.
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Guerschon Yabusele play the half of their lives, but Sixers trail at halftime
After Maxey's red-hot first quarter, he did not score a single point in the second quarter. But the Sixers still registered 33 points as a team in the frame, with two role players leading the way. Oubre and Yabsuele, who have been so good for this team for months, each scored 18 points before halftime — on only 19 combined shot attempts.
Particularly during the first handful of minutes with Maxey resting, Oubre was outstanding. He dominated the Nuggets as a downhill driver, not just utilizing his terrific ability to get to the rim but also finishing through contact. That included this and-one after Yabusele played free safety to pick off a pass:
the play that got KO so hype: https://t.co/UqUQvrf4af pic.twitter.com/o49XFD8uGA
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 1, 2025
A dozen of Yabusele's points came from beyond the arc, where he made four of his five three-point attempts prior to halftime. He also had a coast-to-coast transition slam after Oubre forced a turnover:
.@yabusele28 at the half:
18 PTS | 7-9 FG | 4-5 3FG pic.twitter.com/o2sQJObECk— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 1, 2025
However, an inexplicably poor defensive showing sunk the Sixers early, as even with such a pristine offensive showing in the first half, they entered intermission trailing 73-69.
Odds and ends
A few additional notes from this one:
• This game marked the 11th consecutive absence for Caleb Martin, who has not played since Jan. 10. Martin was initially listed with groin soreness, but the designation changed to a hip sprain. Martin was listed as questionable for the Sixers' game against Sacramento on Wednesday night, but the wing was ultimately ruled out before tip-off. This time around, he was listed as out from the outset. Before the game, Nurse did not say Martin had hit a setback, but did offer this piece of information: Martin's biggest obstacle right now is changing directions without experiencing pain.
• One of the reasons the Sixers kept hanging in there during the second half was Ricky Council IV, who after a lackluster first half brought a ton of energy in a manner that was reminiscent of the finest moments of his rookie season. Council knocked down two corner triples — one of which beat the buzzer in the third, while the second got the team going in the fourth:
.@Rickythe4th ended Q3 with a triple and started Q4 with another! pic.twitter.com/WMLDvRojty
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 1, 2025
As always, the crowd responded enthusiastically when Council exhibited significant intensity on the defensive end of the floor, too.
• Yabusele tied his career-high in scoring when the Sixers lost to Denver on Jan. 21, putting up 22 points without playing in the fourth quarter. He ended up surpassing that figure with ease on Friday. The third quarter was not even halfway done by the time Yabusele had scored 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting. He didn't stop there, and blew the roof off the place moments later thanks to help from a rookie…
• Undrafted two-way wing Justin Edwards started for his hometown team once again, and the 21-year-old made good on another opportunity. Edwards' quick trigger on three-point tries, defensive versatility and athleticism are all valuable assets, but his feel for the game and composed demeanor are just as helpful. The aforementioned play which ignited the crowd: Edwards using a lethal spin move to dance around Russell Westbrook before tossing an alley-oop pass to Yabusele:
THIS SPIN MOVE TO LOB PASS 😩
Justin Edwards finds Guerschon Yabusele on a sick alley-oop…
Yabusele has a career-high and game-high 28 PTS on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/1Uaa20lVJx— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2025
Up next: The tests only get tougher from here, as the Sixers will play host to the Boston Celtics on Sunday evening in the fourth leg of their six-game stretch at home leading up to the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline.
