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Gina Mizell: Nick Nurse’s pregame availability is delayed because the team bus he is on is caught in San Francisco (and Super Bowl week) traffic. There were no players/staff on the court when I arrived at the arena, which is unheard of. Stars, they’re just like us!
Nurse digested the development as you'd expect. Disappointment is only natural. "That's always your first reaction. You get the punch to the gut. But listen, me, I've got to lead the charge here. We got to pull our socks up a little tighter and tie our shoes. We got to get fighting and we got to get to work," Nurse said. The head coach sees it as an opportunity for several of George's teammates to embrace. "Those guys that have been playing this year, there's a bunch of them. We got to figure out who's going to replace some of the things he does positionally, defensively and shots and all that kind of stuff. Think there's a number of guys there to do it. That's where we are" said Nurse.
"We've been in this 'next man up' mentality for quite a while. We're going to have to dig in and do it again."
George's absence will take away some of the team's star equity within lineups. They were able to play two of their Big Three together in any lineup. Nurse's first adjustment will be to stagger Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey more aggressively. But that's easier said than done. "There are some times that saying that sounds great. Sometimes it's hard to do in a tough game when you're battling back and you're trying to get one of them off the floor," Nurse said. "But also I'm equally interested in getting some other guys that we can find a groove with some certain lineups and sets and things to keep the scoreboard moving."
But the head coach emphasized that George will not be left to handle this challenge alone. "He's still part of the team. We're going to make sure that those things continue to happen. Get him back. As with all our players, dealing with this kind of stuff, you care about them. We're here to help him. The organization is in any way possible," Nurse said. "Got to get past it as soon as we can but get through it the best way we can and then go from there."
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Adam Aaronson: “I think we’re pretty lucky, to be honest with you, that we got out of there with a W,” Nick Nurse said. “Not very good on the glass, not very good in transition, not very good on defense… We’re pretty fortunate to get out of there with a win tonight.”
Austin Krell: Nick Nurse said that Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid were great, but that he felt players such as Kelly Oubre and VJ Edgecombe were not as involved as he'd have liked and that bled into the rebounding woes.
Tim Bontemps: Nick Nurse says Philadelphia is planning to leave tonight for Charlotte for Monday’s game, as opposed to leaving tomorrow as normal due to the impending storm hitting the East Coast.
Not only did the 76ers find their way to a dramatic 128-122 victory in overtime over the Houston Rockets at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday night, but on the two-year anniversary of Joel Embiid scoring 70 points here against the San Antonio Spurs, the superstar center put up a 32-point triple-double. And, more importantly, he played 46 minutes -- the most he had played in a regular-season game in more than three years. "It's certainly a pretty big step forward, I think, for sure," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said afterward.
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Even when Flagg struggles, he stands out to opposing coaches and executives. Philadelphia's Nick Nurse noted Flagg's ability to "regather his composure" throughout games despite dealing with the mental and physical fatigue that comes with playing heavy minutes while handling a lot of responsibilities. "His greatest strength is his competitiveness," a West GM said. "He's a motherf---er."
Derek Bodner: Updated Sixers injury report: - OUT: Joel Embiid (right ankle injury management). - QUESTIONABLE: Paul George (left knee injury management). Note: Nick Nurse said before last night's game that Embiid would not play both ends of the back-to-back, which he hasn't done all season.
Josh Lewenberg: Does Nick Nurse think that Kyle Lowry is a future Hall of Famer? “Yep, no doubt. No doubt.”
