3 observations after Sixers top Nets in preseason, Nurse continues experimenting originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
In one week, the Sixers will host the Milwaukee Bucks in front of a fired-up, sold-out Wells Fargo Center crowd and officially begin their 2024-25 season.
Wednesday’s matchup with the Nets was their last contest in Philadelphia before that game. They won it by a 117-95 margin, improving to 3-2 in the preseason.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
The Sixers’ preseason finale is Friday night in Orlando against the Magic. Here are observations on their win over Brooklyn:
A nurse trying out her previous options
While Sixers head coach Nick Nurse sorts out all his options, it’s clear he’s still actively exploring what he has with his role players going forward.
On Wednesday, he decided to start KJ Martin at the four. Martin played a solid game on Monday in the The Sixers’ exhibition win over the Hawks and recently seemed to be ahead of Ricky Council IV in the team’s pecking order.
The Sixers’ offense did not flow smoothly in the first few minutes against the Nets. Martin had a left layup blocked, Tyrese Maxey turned the ball over on a pass down the baseline, and the Sixers were generally tentative as a unit.
Eric Gordon stayed in the starting five and helped the Sixers cook. He drained both of his three-point attempts in the first quarter and also grabbed a steal that prompted a fast-break alley-oop from Maxey to Oubre. A little later, Maxey spotted Martin sneaking up and set him up for a slam as well. The pair reunited in the second quarter.
Although Martin declined a potential corner three-pointer late in the first quarter and went 0 for 1 from long range this preseason, he again contributed in a variety of ways. He played 26 minutes and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two assists.
The other Martin of the Sixers – former Heat forward Caleb Martin — checked off the bench for a second straight game. Nurse said Tuesday that he was “just experimenting a little bit” with the 29-year-old Martin on the second unit.
“What is he likely to give us? He’s going to give us some energy off the bench, right? What I thought we lacked in the previous game,” Nurse said. “So again, we’re just trying to solve that equation a little bit. It separated Kyle (Lowry) and Eric a little bit, which is part of the plan as well. So it’s just two different aspects. I think it’s going to be pretty fluid as we go here for a while.”
Caleb Martin made an impressive play Wednesday when, with the Nets’ defense focused on Maxey, he brought the ball up, drove hard to the rim, and scored a nifty and-one layup. Next time down, he got into the paint and kicked the ball to Jared McCain, whose three-point attempt went in and out. Martin’s expertise in almost everything means that experiments involving him are likely to fail.
Guerschon Yabusele still initially served as the Sixers’ backup center, but he also played at power forward late in the second quarter. With their Yabusele-Andre Drummond frontcourt, the Sixers turned to a zone defense and used Caleb Martin and Oubre as their intermediate perimeter pieces.
Yabusele made a highlight play just before the halftime buzzer, picking off a Dorian Finney-Smith inbounds pass and barreling in for a dunk.
Once Joel Embiid is available and Nurse collects more in-game data on his new players, the team’s forward picture should become clearer.
First quarter McCain minutes, about a moment in the fourth
Lowry (rest) sat out Wednesday’s game along with Embiid (left knee management) and Paul George (left knee bone bruise).
Neither Embiid nor George will play in the Sixers’ preseason finale either. George is to be reassessed early next week.
Lowry’s absence opened the door for first-quarter McCain minutes in the backcourt with Maxey. The 20-year-old initially looked a little more comfortable than in the The Sixers’ preseason opener at Wells Fargo Center. He struggled in the third quarter, though. McCain committed four turnovers in his six-plus minutes of third-period action. The rookie was bothered by Brooklyn’s ball pressure and unable to continue playing at his pace.
He had an anxious moment in the fourth quarter when he missed a shot inside and then, after reaching for the rebound, landed hard on his back.
Members of the Sixers’ coaching staff examined a shaken McCain and later helped him back to the locker room. This story will be updated as more information on his condition becomes available.
Oubre in attack mode
Oubre played 21 minutes in the first half and produced a lot.
The Sixers forced 13 first-half turnovers, which enabled Oubre and Maxey and company to play regularly in transition. Oubre was decisive and effective in the half court as well. He shot 6 for 7 at the foul line and 2 for 3 beyond the arc. The 28-year-old lefty is 6 for 17 (35.3 percent) this preseason from three-point range.
The Sixers sat Oubre and most of their veterans for the second half, leaning on youngsters such as McCain and Council.
Jeff Dowtin Jr. was relatively experienced at 27 years old and played a nice second half, recording 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting, three rebounds and three assists.
