Player grades: Undermanned Sixers suffer blowout loss to Nuggets
· Yahoo Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday looking to start their 3-game road trip on the right foot. The Sixers, once again, were undermanned as they invaded Ball Arena missing the likes of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Jabari Walker.
Due to those absences, the result was predictable. The Nuggets led wire-to-wire and finished off the Sixers with a 124-96 blowout win. Nikola Jokic didn't do a lot of scoring, but his playmaking was terrific as he had 14 assists along with eight points and seven assists for Denver while Cameron Johnson had 18 points and Christian Braun added 22 points.
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The Sixers received 12 points out of Quentin Grimes and nine points out of VJ Edgecombe while MarJon Beauchamp had 16 on the night while Trendon Watford had 12 points and six assists. Justin Edwards added nine points and Andre Drummond had nine and 10 rebounds.
Here are the player grades following the loss:
VJ Edgecombe: D
Welcome to being the top guy on the scouting report, rookie. The Nuggets paid a ton of attention to Edgecombe every time he touched the ball and made life tough for him. Denver isn’t a great defensive team—it entered the contest ranked No. 22 in defensive rating—but it does have veteran players who can follow a scouting report and bother opponents. Edgecombe learned a lesson about life in the NBA in this one. He struggled to find a rhythm and he also got into foul trouble as the veteran Nuggets used a lot of tricks against him.
Quentin Grimes: D-plus
Grimes was aggressive on the offensive end as he looked for his opportunities. The issue in this one was that he was unable to convert on those looks. He was able to put the ball on the floor, but struggled finishing in the paint and had a tough time knocking down open looks from beyond the arc. He was able to score in double figures again, though, as he stayed with it and stayed aggressive. With that being said, the 3-point shooting absolutely has to be better going forward.
Justin Edwards: D
The Sixers needed Edwards to be aggressive in this one. He did his best to look for his own offense, but just wasn’t able to convert on his looks. He was able to knock down a couple of 3s, which is a positive, but it was an overall tough night for him as well. Denver sent a lot of defensive attention his way as well as he was unable to find a groove.
Dominick Barlow: D-minus
As it was for everybody on the floor, Barlow had a tough night. He missed an open look from beyond the arc on the wing and had some tough moments defensively as the Nuggets were able to find a ton of success out on the floor. He did grab some rebounds and make some hustle plays which is helpful, but that was all Barlow could do in this one. He had some tough turnovers as well.
Adem Bona: D-plus
Bona doesn’t back down from anybody and he gives every player he faces a challenge, but Jokic is Jokic. The superstar center for the Nuggets made it look too easy out on the floor as he was picking apart Philadelphia’s defense with his passing and scored when he felt like it. While Jokic got Denver off to a fast start, big man Jonas Valanciunas hopped off the bench and had success against Bona as well.
Cam Payne: D-minus
It was a tough night for Payne. He was aggressive with his offense—which is what the Sixers want from him—but they cannot afford to have him tough nights such as this one. He had some good looks, but he just couldn’t convert on them and it led to a rough offensive night.
Trendon Watford: D
The overall night for Watford wasn’t great. He missed a couple of open 3s and had some tough defensive moments as the Nuggets were able to hunt him a bit in their schemes. He deserves credit for his work in the post both with his offense and with his playmaking out of that spot on the floor, but it was a tough night.
Andre Drummond: C-minus
One has to give Drummond a lot of credit. Not a lot was going well for Philadelphia in this one, but he continued to fight and be chippy for this group against Nuggets superstar Jokic and bother him. It was a tough night for Drummond in this one, as reflected in his grade, but he continues to show up and be a constant for this group. His energy level in this one was good and he eventually started grabbing rebounds as the game wore on.
MarJon Beauchamp: C-plus
The night for Beauchamp started with him knocking down a 3, which is a good sign. He then knocked down a couple of more 3s as the night went on. Beauchamp deserves a ton of credit for staying with it and giving Philadelphia some helpful offensive production.
Kyle Lowry: C
The Sixers turned to the future Hall of Famer and he gave an honest effort in the first half, but missed an open 3 from the corner. He did give a solid effort on defense as he just looks to give Philadelphia whatever he can. He received a look in the second half as well and gave Philadelphia some production on the glass.
Dalen Terry: C
Returning after missing a game due to a shoulder issue, Terry hopped off the bench and played with aggression. He was tough on the defensive end of the floor and he came up with a couple of buckets. It was an effort that was needed when considering the way the night went.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Undermanned Sixers suffer blowout loss to Nuggets