3 biggest takeaways for short-handed 76ers following home loss to Nets

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Brooklyn Nets 114-106 at home on Tuesday. The Sixers were without V.J. Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and Dominick Barlow due to illness, then lost Kelly Oubre Jr. to a left knee sprain and Trendon Watford to a left adductor strain. The Nets dominated the night with their youth and athleticism.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid had 27 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Andre Drummond had 12 points and 13 rebounds, Paul George had 19 points and 4 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey had 13 points, and Eric Gordon had 12 points. Jared McCain had 10 points and nine rebounds.

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Here are three of the biggest gains after a loss:

Maxi’s struggle

It was a strange night for Maxey as he only attempted 14 shots on the night. That’s a far cry from the league-leading 23.3 points per night he entered this tournament. He started 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Of course, we have to give the Nets credit for having the right game plan, but the Sixers have to get Maxie more involved. Yes, George and Embiid are back, but the Sixers have to get the star guard shooting, and he has to become more aggressive and push forward with the Big Three on the floor.

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Coach Nick Nurse said of Maxey:

Well, I think it would be difficult for him to break free. Not too much – even the ones he had in the alley. He’s been given some of those permissions, but I don’t think there’s enough freedom in some of them. I probably wish he could shoot a few more step-back threes and stuff like that. I have to look at this because they use a big man against him a lot. We didn’t really cost them much for it, but he got some good stuff out of it. It was a rough night for him, but you know what? He is not alone. I think it was a really tough night for all of our shooters. Just not having anyone fill the void, which is what we’ve been doing well. When one or two people are absent, one or two people will step in and plug these loopholes. Tonight, there are a few people who are absent, and a few people who are absent.

Michael Porter Jr.’s defensive questions

Porter led the Nets with 28 points and used every opportunity to destroy the 76ers. He scored 14 points in the first quarter and 25 points in the half. He made 8 of 14 shots in the first half and 5 of 8 three-pointers. The Sixers stepped up their defense a bit after halftime, holding Porter to just three points, but the damage was done when Porter led Brooklyn’s offensive charge and drained a highlight-reel three-pointer of the night.

“He just got free,” George said of Porter. “That’s my responsibility. That’s my main matchup. Get him off to a hot start, get some good looks. He hit some good shots. In the second half, I think we limited him to three points. So, I did a better job in the second half, but to get him off to a start like that, that’s my responsibility. Yeah, it sucked.”

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Overall offensive struggles

The Sixers’ focus will be on Maxey and his rough night, but it’s not just him. McCain made 3 of 11 shots, George made 5 of 14 shots, Justin Edwards made 1 of 5 shots, and Maxey made 3 of 14 shots. The Sixers don’t have the same explosiveness or energy on offense, which cost them against the Nets, who can put teams to sleep if they don’t have the proper energy. It’s a testament to what head coach Jordy Fernandez has accomplished in Brooklyn.

“Just think about stagnation,” George said. “We stalled, lost our rhythm as a team, and we played slow. I thought our tempo was a little slow, which gave them trust. I mean, they were shooting, so it was hard to go out there and play fast, but, yeah, we played a little slow tonight.”

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This article originally appeared on 76ers Wired: 3 big takeaways from the shorthanded 76ers’ home loss to Nets