Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse highlighted his team’s balanced performance after Thursday’s 123-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
“I think probably the best overall for all three of them that we’ve seen in any stretch,” Nurse said of the starters’ contributions. He added, “Other than a little bit of a shaky defensive start, I thought for the most part everybody played pretty well.”
Nurse singled out Quentin Grimes’ impact off the bench. “Grimes played two 19-minute stints off the bench, did a really good job defensively, and hit some big shots in the fourth,” he said.
On limiting Dallas’ Max Christie in the second half, Nurse explained the defensive approach. “Nothing major other than we really just tried to be into him, take up his space…Baylor worked really hard for the 18 minutes he was on him, and Q had to take him for the rest of the time,” Nurse said.
The 76ers coach praised the team’s decision-making on offense. “I thought the ball was really going to where it needed to go. When there wasn’t a lane to drive, we drove it. I thought we made really good decisions for the most part on offense,” he said.
He highlighted the defensive growth of his guards. “Edgecombe and others are lightning quick. We’re working on creating turnovers where we can…Even Q has such a burst into passing lanes. One or two of those a game gives a free layup at the other end,” Nurse said.
Nurse also acknowledged the risk of over-aggressiveness. “We get hurt by it sometimes, but for the most part we created turnovers and that turned into some easy offense,” he said.
The 76ers were led by Tyrese Maxey’s 34 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, with Joel Embiid adding 22, and rookie VJ Edgecombe contributing 23. Dallas’ top performers included Max Christie with 18, Anthony Davis with 13, and Cooper Flagg with 12.
Philadelphia shot 53% from the field and 36% from three-point range, while Dallas finished at 38% overall and 21% from deep. Nurse’s remarks underline a focus on disciplined defense and high basketball IQ as key to sustaining the team’s success.
The 76ers head to New York for their next game, while the Mavericks will host Houston on Saturday.
