The Philadelphia 76ers got off to a rough start on Tuesday and it cost them in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, but if there was one true positive the team could take from the loss, it is the play of the bench unit.
That unit has been a bit up and down all season, but they played pretty well against a good Nuggets team. The bench scored 46 points in the loss, led by 13 from rookie Tyrese Maxey, and they showed some heart when Philadelphia got down big.
“They played hard,” said coach Doc Rivers. “That was the only group, to me, that kind of played hard and played together. They passed to each other.”
The Sixers must now hope they continue to get this type of performance from the second unit the rest of the way. This is a type of performance that will help give a spark when the first unit needs it.
“Huge,” said Ben Simmons. “For a moment, we thought they were going to do it, which is a good sign. So, those young guys came here ready. They were playing and they were hooping. So, it was good to see that.”
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What Simmons was referring to is that the Sixers cut the large deficit down to six with 21.2 seconds to play. It was an effort that the bench can be proud of as they understand their role for the future and what they mean to this team’s success.
“We go in and fight,” said Maxey. “That’s what we have to do at the end of the day. The game wasn’t over. We still had time. You never know, we a couple of shots, make a 3, get a stop, a couple of calls go different, who knows? The game could have been different. It’s not over till it’s over.”
The starters were up on the bench screaming and rooting them on and that is the one big positive from an otherwise bad loss.
“To see the group out there, coming in and playing and playing their heart out, that’s the least we can do is get up and cheer for them,” said Tobias Harris. “They do the same thing for us when we’re in the game, win or lose so it’s just that type of bond we have as a group.”
The Sixers will now move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday to finish up a 6-game road trip.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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