Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse highlighted his team’s depth and late-game execution following Saturday’s 121-114 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. “He’s making all kinds of plays,” Nurse said, referencing VJ Edgecombe’s impact on both ends of the court.
Nurse praised Edgecombe’s momentum-shifting plays. “You get a tough stop, it’s a fairly close game, we get the ball out and he takes it coast to coast and weaves through for an easy bucket…those are super momentum plays,” he explained.
The coach credited his closing lineup for sustaining Philadelphia’s fourth-quarter surge. “The three guards were all impacting a bit, and Jabari was playing super physical…he got switched onto Davis and battled him off the block,” Nurse said.
Nurse singled out Dominick Barlow for his defensive contributions despite scoring 21 points. “Barlow had the game of the season going…he was playing the defensive part well enough to keep us going, especially once we got a little bit of a lead,” he said.
Jared McCain’s performance earned Nurse’s praise as well. “He was making so many plays…he was more into the game, and that’s the way you do it. It felt like the group playing together just worked,” he noted.
Nurse discussed Maxey’s late-game heroics. “We can’t wait to get to the fourth quarter…we had a bunch of quick easy buckets and a couple stops in a row. That flipped the game,” he said, pointing to Philadelphia’s 24-7 run to open the period.
The coach addressed Quentin Grimes’ uneven offensive night. “I really want him to drive the ball more…he’s a good finisher, powerful and athletic. We just need to set him up to do that,” Nurse said, noting Grimes’ seven assists despite shooting struggles.
Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid and Paul George, but Nurse expressed optimism about Embiid’s health. “He just didn’t have a great week…we hope we get another couple of days and get him going,” he said.
The 76ers held Dallas to just 17 points in the fourth quarter, with Maxey scoring seven during the decisive stretch. Nurse emphasized the importance of balance and effort across the roster. “It’s a combination of forceful offense and good enough defense to get us out in transition a bit,” he said.
Philadelphia improved to 16-11, marking their sixth win in the last eight games. The 76ers host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, while Dallas falls to 11-18 and heads to New Orleans on Monday.
