Georges Niang’s 3-pointer never had a chance. His corner attempt crashed hard off the side of the backboard, not even halfway on its journey to the rim. The shot would have tied the game up at 113.
Instead, the Sixers walked off their home floor with a 114-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Blame tired legs. Head coach Doc Rivers was asked if fatigue played a factor on a night where they surrendered a 19-point lead. He was only willing to half-admit it did.
“Could’ve been, only guy I really struggled keeping in was Georges [Niang] because I said it early today, ‘I think Georges’ legs, I think he’s dead’ but then he’ll make one,” Rivers said. “He might make a couple but they are scared to leave him, it opens the floor up for us.”
Maxey’s reaction after Niang decided to shoot a floater down 3 with 3 seconds left instead of passing to him wide open at the 3 point line. Niang was clearly rattled by his first miss off the backboard.
The Sixers are 67 games into an 82-game schedule. All that basketball takes a toll, especially when the team was coming off a back-to-back in Orlando that went into overtime. Some had thought Rivers might rest a few key starters against Denver, mainly Joel Embiid and James Harden. He didn’t.
“It’s difficult, but it’s go-time,” Harden said. “We’re definitely in the right direction. I think there’s a couple of small things that we can correct, that we can do.”
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Embiid Fighting Fatigue, Messed Up Rotations
Rivers raised a few eyebrows in his post-game press conference when he revealed that Embiid had asked to come out early in the first quarter. The Sixers’ big man went to the bench with 4:49 showing after picking up two quick fouls.
“I thought the rotations got screwed up today because Joel said after four minutes he wanted to come out,” Rivers said. “Which I’ve never … you know, he was tired, then he got into foul trouble after that, so that really hurt our rotations tonight.”
Joel Embiid and James Harden tonight:
Embiid: 32 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Assists
Harden: 24 Points, 9 Rebounds, 10 Assists
Embiid wound playing 36 minutes and scoring 34 points with nine rebounds. It came one night after the 7-footer went 41 minutes in an overtime win. He was definitely feeling a bit fatigued.
“It was tough,” Embiid said. “I’m starting to feel it, but I gotta keep pushing. There’s 15 more games.”
Rivers Takes Blame for Harden’s Struggles
Harden only attempted two field goals in the fourth quarter and none in the final three minutes of the frame. He got six points, thanks to a pair of free throws.
Doc Rivers said he’d like James Harden to look more for his shot early in games. Said if he looks for his own shot he’ll be able to find guys off of it because of his instincts.
The amazing part? Harden nearly recorded a triple-double: 24 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists. Rivers took the blame for not calling more isolation plays.
“I’ve gotta do a better job of getting him into the right places,” Rivers said. “I felt that was part of the second actions. I felt that we had so many opportunities to swing it, swing it back to James, floor wide open and before we get it back to someone drove it and shot it, so we’ll figure it out.”
#Sixers guard James Harden on only getting two fourth-quarter shots in loss:
Harden appreciated what Rivers said, but it’s up to him to figure things out. He needs to find the right chemistry with his new teammates.
“Just trying to find that balance, it doesn’t usually take me a long time,” Harden said, “so I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon. Just trying to find that balance of when to be aggressive and when to be a playmaker.”
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‘I Think He’s Dead’: Doc Rivers Explains Sixers Loss to Nuggets