How laborious it was on the part of the reigning champion! While Joel Embiid was added to the list of last-minute absentees, alongside Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, Denver had all the trouble in the world to get rid of this Sixers B team!
After a great start during which Jamal Murray hit the mark three times from distance (13-4), Denver never managed to outrun the Sixers thereafter. Alongside Pat Beverley in passer mode, Philly relied on an unprecedented Morris-Reed duo to stay in contact with the defending champion in the first quarter (31-27). Everyone was waiting for the moment when the Nuggets were going to take off, except that the Sixers were determined to prolong the suspense!
In this little game, it was Nick Nurse's men who defied the predictions by staying in the match until the break (64-62) then taking the lead at the end of the third quarter (86-88 ) !
The Sixers in the lead after three quarters
Even when Nikola Jokic moved up a gear by scoring an assist and three baskets to bring his team to +8 (78-70), Philadelphia found a way to revive, with Kelly Oubre Jr, KJ Martin and two baskets 3-pointers signed Paul Reed and Furkan Korkmaz (84-84), until Danuel House and Paul Reed put the Sixers in the lead, to everyone's surprise.
The pressure began to weigh on the locals while the score was still so close, especially after the dunk with the bonus foul on Kelly Oubre Jr. and the two missed shots from Nikola Jokic which allowed KOJ to bring his team back to tie less than five minutes from the end (96-96).
It was at this moment that the Nuggets were finally able to break free, paradoxically after another missed throw from Nikola Jokic, who recovered his rebound to score two more points. In the process, it was Aaron Gordon in transition and a lay-up from the Serbian pivot which allowed Denver to achieve a 7-0 lead and finally breathe (103-96). There was again Paul Reed's 3-pointer to give the public chills, delivered immediately by the response in the corner from Michael Porter Jr and the throws from Nikola Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to finish (111-105 ).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– No stars, but show and suspense. “Stars” aren’t everything! The Sixers role players will no doubt remember this evening for a long time when they almost brought down the reigning champion on home soil in a match in which they were widely expected to lose. Once again, Nick Nurse's men demonstrated that nothing is impossible in basketball as long as you put in intensity, aggressiveness on both sides of the floor and a lot of desire. At the end, the result was not there, but the players can be proud.
– Paul Reed at the height of the event. In the absence of Joel Embiid, hampered by his knee and who missed his fourth consecutive game in Denver, all eyes were on his backup Paul Reed. The latter rose to the occasion by signing his career best with 30 points to go with his 13 rebounds. He also tackled Nikola Jokic without trembling and extended the suspense with a 3-pointer on the Joker's head less than two minutes from the end. We can also highlight the performance of Pat Beverley in place of Tyrese Maxey and the Oubre-Morris pair to compensate for the loss of Tobias Harris.
– A match to forget for the Nuggets. Mike Malone's troops came close to a nice correction against a team deprived of its three best players, including the reigning MVP, no less! We don't know if it's the lack of enthusiasm around this match or something else, but Denver displayed a worrying level, both in defense and in attack where they were particularly messy and very inconsistent. The strangest figure of this evening perhaps remains this improbable clumsiness on the free throw, at 24/38, or only 63.2% skill! A point which could have allowed Denver to secure the meeting well before.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
