Behind 20 points from Dario Saric and 18 points from J.J. Redick, the Philadelphia 76ers — without star center Joel Embiid — used a big third-quarter effort to sneak by the Denver Nuggets 107-102 Saturday night at Pepsi Center.
Trailing by three with 25 seconds remaining in regulation, Will Barton had an open 27-footer that would have tied the score at 103-all, but the sixth-man’s attempt clanged off the iron as Denver dropped just their fourth game at home this season. Coming into tonight’s matchup, Philadelphia was 1-7 when playing without Embiid.
“I was scared, I just did not have a good feeling the whole day, because I know what happens when a star player is out,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after the loss. “You can tell (your players) not to relax but at the end of the day, those guys have talented players.”
The 76ers hit their free-throws down the stretch to seal just their 16th victory of the season.
For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray led the way with 30 points. Nikola Jokic finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Trey Lyles scored 16 points off Denver’s bench.
“I do think we had some (good) looks that for us weren’t even close tonight, which is not who we’ve been,” Malone said. “We’ve been a team that’s shot the ball pretty well from the perimeter and tonight you could tell some of our misses weren’t even on the mark.”
Denver looked for a moment like they were going to bury Philadelphia to start the third after taking a three-point lead into the break. The 76ers didn’t score their first basket of the second half until a Saric free-throw at the 7:16 mark of the quarter. But Philadelphia roared back to within one point with four minutes left in the third.
After an ensuing Michael Malone timeout, four straight missed free-throws from Mason Plumlee (two of which came by the way of a 76ers’ intentional foul) gave Philadelphia their first lead of the game since the first quarter. Plumlee would go 1-7 from the line in the third quarter after another intentional foul from the 76ers a few minutes later.
Reserve guard Jerryd Bayless scored the 76ers’ first eight points of the fourth quarter to give Philadelphia a 91-80 lead. Denver got to within four points with a little over four minutes left in the game and then three with a minute remaining in regulation.
The Nuggets (20-17) now turn their attention to the Phoenix Suns, who come to Pepsi Center on Wednesday, Jan. 3.
