NBA All-Star Describes Philadelphia 76ers’ Reaction to Loss vs Nuggets

A blowout loss to conclude a road trip in Denver, Colorado called for a frustrated Philadelphia 76ers locker room.

After losing 144-109 to the Denver Nuggets, the Sixers’ biggest lesson to take away from the game is that they have to be better in every way, including execution and preperation.

Nick Nurse ranted about his team’s approach to the game after the loss. Paul George described the locker room as an “intense” environment, as the team understood they could’ve been much better—shorthanded or not.

In Tyrese Maxey’s eyes, the one-time All-Star saw the reaction as a frustrated group of individuals who have the same goal that is just not getting accomplished.

"I describe it as a group of people who want to win,” Maxey told reporters regarding the state of the locker room after the game in Denver via Sixers Wire.

"I mean, it's hard to win this league, for sure. It's hard to not be healthy. It's hard to not have all your guys. It's hard to not have your best player … It’s difficult. It's already difficult to win with all those guys. It makes it extremely difficult when guys are out, guys are missing, and then guys come back, it makes it extremely difficult."

The Sixers can’t find stability. The seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid has played in 13 games with half of the season in the bag. Considering the team tends to run through him when he’s healthy, they have to tweak a large part of the gameplan anytime he’s in or out.

While Paul George managed to get through a month without a setback after sitting out for the same knee injury on two occasions earlier in the year, a recent groin injury has taken him off the court for multiple games lately.

Beyond the All-Star trio, the Sixers have had role players and reserves in and out of the lineup. Finding consistency in the health department is difficult for Philadelphia. Those issues have trickled down into other areas, leaving the team fighting for its life halfway through the season.

Nick Nurse’s postgame rant in Denver can be seen as a challenge for his players. Maxey seems ready to answer the call.

76ers lost to the Nugget — Jan 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) drives to the basket against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) as forward Paul George (8) and forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) and guard Christian Braun (0) and guard Tyrese Maxey (0) look on in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

“Coach Nurse said something that was extremely correct as far as, man, we're all professionals in here," the young guard stated.

"You can do the basics. You can do the stuff like being on time and being present and going out there and doing the fundamentals, you know what I'm saying? So, he believes in everybody in here and that's the coach that you want to have on your side."

The loss against the Nuggets was the Sixers’ seventh in a row. The road gets harder on Friday, when the Sixers host the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

One win—even against a team like Cleveland—won’t indicate the Sixers are ready to turn everything around and turn into instant contenders.

But they have to start somewhere. If the Sixers can’t bounce back with a better effort after losing by nearly 40 points, they’ll be staring at a very dark reality as February approaches.

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