Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse addressed both late-game execution and roster uncertainty after a 113-102 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night at Toyota Center. The defeat came as Philadelphia continues its push for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Nurse also confirmed he had limited information regarding Joel Embiid following surgery. “Nope, not yet. Not yet,” Nurse said when asked for updates. “Reached out to him a little bit. We’ll see. Probably talk to him a little bit later.”
He added that the medical details were still unclear from his perspective. “I do not at this time. I probably have some more information for you pregame tomorrow,” Nurse said when asked about the procedure.
The 76ers briefly showed life in the fourth quarter, cutting into a large Houston lead with a strong scoring run. Nurse pointed to a lineup change and improved execution as the key shift.
“Just the main problem we had tonight was taking care of the ball and they cut the turnovers down and we started making some shots,” Nurse said.
He emphasized that Philadelphia’s early mistakes shaped the outcome long before the closing minutes. “First half was just turnovers, right?” Nurse said. “It was really uncharacteristic of us to do that.”
Nurse explained that many of those turnovers came without heavy pressure, which made the possession losses more costly. “We were just kind of beating a guy down the lane and the next thing you know the ball was squirting up in the air,” he said.
The Rockets repeatedly turned those mistakes into fast-break points. Nurse described those possessions as decisive in building the halftime gap. “They scored on just about everyone if not everyone,” he said. “It’s pick six on those. And that’s just your 20 point difference at the half right there.”
Philadelphia’s fourth-quarter push was fueled by better ball control and improved shot-making, particularly from Quentin Grimes and the bench unit. Nurse said that group deserved extended minutes due to its impact.
“Yep. They were rolling,” Nurse said when asked about sticking with the lineup that sparked the comeback attempt.
The Sixers trimmed the deficit to single digits late, but Houston responded with key three-pointers to shut the door. Nurse acknowledged the effort but noted the missed opportunity.
“They got it I think we got it to seven,” Nurse said. “Probably should have been six there with about 3 minutes to go and then they answered with a couple threes.”
Looking ahead, Nurse stressed urgency as the regular season nears its conclusion. “We just got to get over it because the games are here,” he said. “Once the ball goes up we got to zero in on playing great team basketball.”
Philadelphia now shifts focus to its next matchup, while Embiid’s status remains a central storyline moving forward.