Nick Nurse said the 8-1 Philadelphia 76ers are “still a long ways away from playing a 48-minute game” after a 112-106 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, and said Adem Bona was being checked for neck soreness.
The Sixers led by 17 before Detroit pulled within six. Jaylen Brown sealed it by blocking Cade Cunningham’s 3-point try with 37 seconds left.
Nurse said the Sixers’ good stretches are growing “by two or three minutes here as of late.”
“We’re still a long ways away from playing a 48-minute game,” he said. “The goal right now is to stretch out those good periods of play and minimize those really bad periods of play.”
He said consistency is the fix. “If we just take care of it consistently and get shots consistently and stay solid consistently, then … we can get to 48 eventually,” Nurse said.
Asked about early wins over top teams, he said he “wouldn’t read any super long-term stuff into anything” because “it’s early” and teams are missing players.
Nurse said he is still learning his roster. “I’m still every day trying to figure out how to put these guys in their best positions to succeed,” he said.
Bona played 15 minutes and scored five points before leaving with what Nurse called neck soreness.
Nurse said he was low on timeouts and waited for a whistle that did not come “possession after possession” before he could get Bona out.
“They’re checking him now,” Nurse said, adding that Bona “looks to be okay, but nothing official on that.”
Brown scored a season-high 30. Nurse said he was “under control” and “powerful” and is making difficult shots “pretty consistently.”
Brown also took on different defensive assignments because of foul trouble in the backcourt. VJ Edgecombe finished with five fouls, and Anfernee Simons had four in 10 minutes.
“He had to do some kind of different stuff defensively, which I thought he excelled at, too,” Nurse said.
Tyrese Maxey scored a season-low 19 on 5-of-16 shooting but had seven assists and one turnover. “They’re obviously scheming for him and I thought he played pretty comfortable,” Nurse said.
Nurse said the Sixers will not lean on one closer. “I know Tyrese has closed some games and … JB’s taking us home in a couple too,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s going to be the same recipe every night, which I think is huge,” Nurse said. He said it “just needs to go to the right place on any given night.”
Joel Embiid had 26 points and 15 rebounds, including four offensive. “He’s just feeling better, moving better,” Nurse said.
“They aren’t just falling to him,” Nurse said. “He’s got to go get them. … I think it’s just been determination on his part.”
Nurse called Dean Wade’s defense on Cunningham “excellent.” Wade was plus-7 in 22 minutes, and Cunningham finished with 26 points and 11 assists.
The bench scored 13 points, while all five starters reached double figures. “Not a ton of scoring out of those guys tonight, but you know, who cares when everybody else is in double figures?” Nurse said.
He also credited Duncan Robinson, who scored 27 on 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. “He’ll come off like six screens in one possession and he never stops,” Nurse said.
Philadelphia plays at Cleveland in an NBA Cup game Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
