Nick Nurse's Honest Statement After Pelicans-76ers

The New Orleans Pelicans get a rare road win after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 123-115 on Friday evening. CJ McCollum led all scorers with 38 points, including 18 in the first quarter, to give the Pelicans just their third win away from New Orleans this season. Shortly before tip-off, the Pelicans announced star forward Zion Williamson would be suspended for Friday's game because of violations of team policies.

It was later revealed Williamson missed a team flight to Philly, causing the organization to discipline the two-time all-star for his actions. New Orleans also played without Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones. Former MVP Joel Embiid missed his third straight game for the Sixers, so much of the star power was unavailable for Friday's matchup.

Jan 4, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) celebrates during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Paul George returned for the Sixers after missing Wednesday's game with a groin injury. He scored 25 points in his return but took 22 shots to reach that total.

76ers head coach Nick Nurse spoke to reporters postgame about his team's loss on Friday. "We struggled in the mid pick and roll defense... It's a five-man job to guard the screen and roll, but a lot of it at the point of attack wasn't good either."

“We struggled in the mid pick and roll defense … it’s a 5 man job to guard the screen and roll, but a lot of it at the point of attack wasn’t good either.”

Nick Nurse on the team’s struggle to defend Jose Alvarado’s drives in the 2nd half: pic.twitter.com/kJvLxhtgkA
— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) January 11, 2025

The Pelicans bench was a major catalyst in the team's victory, with three players scoring 36 points in relief. Jose Alvarado, who returned last week after a month-long absence with a hamstring injury, scored 13 points and dished out nine assists off the bench. His energy was missed during his injury, and he's returned to provide a spark on the bench.

Williamson expects to be back for the Pelicans' next game on Sunday. New Orleans travels to Boston to face the world-champion Celtics, who again look like one of the best teams in the NBA. The 76ers fell to 15-21 on the year and will now travel to Orlando to face the Magic on Sunday.

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