The Sixers may have walked away with a win Thursday night, but don’t let that final score fool you-this one was anything but comfortable. Despite outlasting a slumping Kings squad 113-111 at home, head coach Nick Nurse wasn’t exactly handing out high-fives in the postgame presser.
His message? We got away with one.
“I think we’re pretty lucky, to be honest with you, that we got out of there with a W,” Nurse said bluntly. “Not very good on the glass, not very good in transition, not very good on defense… We’re pretty fortunate to get out of there with a win tonight.”
And he wasn’t just venting. The numbers back him up.
The Kings came into the Wells Fargo Center riding a six-game losing streak and were 11.5-point underdogs. This was supposed to be a get-right game for Philly.
Instead, it turned into a fourth-quarter scrap, with the Sixers trailing late before their stars bailed them out.
Tyrese Maxey was the difference. The All-Star guard turned in a performance that reminded everyone why he’s the engine of this team-40 points on 12-of-18 shooting, capped by a cold-blooded game-winner with 1.3 seconds left. He was electric, mixing speed, precision, and poise in a way that few guards in the league can match right now.
Joel Embiid, as he often does, matched Maxey’s brilliance with a dominant showing of his own-37 points and 8 assists. The two combined for 77 of the team’s 113 points. That’s the kind of star power that can carry a team through rough patches, and make no mistake, this was one of them.
Because beyond Maxey and Embiid, the Sixers were outplayed in key areas. The rebounding disparity was glaring-Sacramento won the battle on the boards 46-24.
That’s not just a stat line; that’s a red flag. The Kings, led by Dennis Schröder’s 27 points and DeMar DeRozan’s 25, repeatedly punished Philly in transition and on second-chance looks.
The Sixers struggled to close out possessions, and it nearly cost them.
Now, a win is a win, and this one moves Philly to 25-21 with back-to-back home victories. But Nurse’s frustration speaks volumes.
This isn’t about one sloppy night-it’s about the bigger picture. The Sixers are leaning heavily on their two stars, and while Maxey and Embiid are more than capable of delivering, they can’t be asked to carry the entire load every night.
If Philly wants to make real noise in the postseason, they’ll need more than just heroics from their top two. They’ll need rebounding.
They’ll need transition defense. And they’ll need consistent contributions from the supporting cast.
Because in April, luck won’t be enough.