Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse assessed his team’s 112-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, highlighting the challenges of containing Luka Doncic and LeBron James in the final minutes.
Nurse acknowledged Joel Embiid’s effort despite shooting struggles, saying, “Obviously he’s not going to be happy with the shooting numbers, but I think there was some progress there.”
The coach pointed to the slow third-quarter offense as a key frustration, noting, “We just couldn’t find anything to go in the basket for a good amount of time… then late it got a little frustrating.” He emphasized the physicality of the Lakers, particularly how Los Angeles cleared the floor for Doncic and James down the stretch.
Nurse credited his team’s competitiveness despite offensive inefficiency, stating, “You shoot 35% and you almost have a chance to win the game… we fought really hard.” He praised defensive adjustments that led to turnovers but admitted mistakes on rotations allowed Los Angeles to make critical plays.
Addressing LeBron’s fourth-quarter heroics, Nurse said, “He’s done that a time or two in his life… they’re kind of firing it back and forth to each other and they’re both scoring. It’s a little tough when they got it going.” He also referenced Doncic’s consistent production at the free-throw line, noting it as part of his usual impact.
Nurse expressed surprise at some missed foul calls against Tyrese Maxey, pointing out, “As much as he’s getting held and pushed… you think there’d be some more.” He acknowledged the Lakers’ physical approach in the second half aimed at establishing rhythm and drawing contact.
Looking forward, Nurse highlighted the team’s progress in health and conditioning: “The encouraging news is we’re getting a lot of guys a little healthier… minute restrictions are creeping up… conditioning is improving.” He stressed the importance of continued development in offensive cohesion and defensive rotations.
Despite the loss, Nurse remained positive about the team’s competitiveness and size advantage: “We look like an NBA team… we’re guarding a little bit better… there’s tons of work to do on offense, but the fight is there.” He emphasized that adjustments and practice over the next few days would be critical for upcoming games.
The 76ers fall to 13-10 overall, while the Lakers improve to 17-6 with their third consecutive win. Philadelphia returns home Friday to face Indiana, while Los Angeles hosts San Antonio in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday.
