PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers have lost 11 in a row following a 114-109 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It is just the latest loss in what has been a miserable season for a team that was expected to contend for a championship in the 2024-25 season.
The Sixers have looked like a different squad every night. They were supposed to be led by stars Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, but instead, they have had to rock with two-way players and players on 10-days who are fighting for their NBA futures. It has led to a 23-55 record thus far with four games to play.
Coach Nick Nurse is doing everything he possibly can to field a competitive roster on the floor every night, and for the most part, he has. The Sixers have rarely been blown out in these games and Timberwolves coach Chris Finch notices as he expressed some sympathies for one of his closest friends and colleagues in the coaching industry.
"It’s always extremely hard knowing, of course, how hard it is to get wins in this business, in general, when you’re at full strength and have the wind at your back," Finch said before the Wolves walked away with the win. "It’s still hard. We’ve talked. We’ve texted. He’s a fighter. Super resourceful. Gonna try everything he possibly can. I think just not having clarity on what your team is gonna look like night to night as a coach is probably the hardest thing just because it just makes planning and pivoting."
As mentioned before, the Sixers have had a different roster almost every night. They have used 29 different players on the season as they have had to battle the injury bug which means guys like Justin Edwards, Lonnie Walker IV, Marcus Bagley, and a slew of others are getting playing time.
Throw in the fact that the two-way players have a limited number of games and all of the players on 10-day deals, it makes life tough for Nurse.
"You can’t really plan and you have to pivot," Finch added. "He is really good at pivoting and coming up with things and being creative, but at some point, you kinda just run out. So yeah, it’s been hard, but when we spoke a couple weeks ago, I would say his mindset was pretty good given everything."
Nurse and the Sixers have four games left. They will begin a quick 2-game road trip on Monday when they take on the Miami Heat.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Timberwolves coach Chris Finch sympathizes with Sixers' Nick Nurse
