Nick Nurse’s stubborn offense exposed in 76ers second half collapse to Chicago Bulls

Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers managed to blow a 24-point lead and lose to the Chicago Bulls with three seconds left on the clock. They led 75-56 at halftime, and it felt like one of those rare nights when everything clicked.

Then reality set in. The Sixers don’t play the same sport after halftime.

Before we get into it, check out this painful stat. The Sixers average just 22.9 points per third quarter. That ties them with the New Orleans Pelicans, who have one win this season and look like they’re tanking before Thanksgiving.

Every game follows the same tired script. Sixers start hot start and finish flat.

Last night was the full rerun. The Sixers didn’t score a single point in the final five minutes and shot 4-for-22 in the fourth quarter.

Joel Embiid, who should have been dominating inside, spent the final stretch taking fadeaway jumpers from midrange and three-point range. Quentin Grimes finished with a -13, Jared McCain didn’t score in his return, and the bench trio of Jabari Walker, Adem Bona, and Trendon Watford combined for just eight points.

That’s not nearly enough production, obviously.

Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey continues to carry the franchise on his back. He logged 39 minutes, dropped 39 points, and went 6-for-10 from three.

The problem is that he’s basically running a marathon every night. No wonder Maxey is gassed late when he needs to play nearly the entire game. He being asked to create, score, facilitate, and save everyone else when things fall apart.

Trust me, I understand we’re not even 10-games in and I’m in no way dogging Maxey already. He’s been an MVP candidate and the clear leader of the team, but even MVPs need help.

The Real Issue: Nick Nurse’s offense in the second half.

The Sixers open games with energy and movement, then by the fourth quarter they look like they’re playing in slow motion. Everything grinds down into the same predictable Maxey-Embiid two-man game.

While the team continuously forces the ball into the paint for Embiid to meticulously dribble the basketball for five seconds and chuck up shots, the offense becomes stagnant. I mean seriously, VJ Edgecombe didn’t even attempt a shot in the final ten minutes.

What are we doing, Nick Nurse?

All of the sudden, the Sixers were down two points, need to tie or go for the win with three seconds left on the clock. There’s easily three other guys on that inbound play that Nick Nurse should have been focused on to take the final shot.

Obviously, that didn’t happen and we were left yet again with Quentin Grimes and “GRIME TIME” trying to become the hero.

We know ball here at The Liberty Line…

Nobody loves “Grime Time” more than Quentin Grimes. I hate that he loves it too.

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) November 5, 2025

Quentin Grimes was 0/4 from three point range and on the night, shot a miserable 25 percent from the field. So sure, Nick Nurse… let’s just forget about Maxey, who was 6/10 from beyond the arc.

Don’t start… I’m even not saying that Maxey was the most logical choice. The Bulls expected him to get the ball with the game on the line, which was evident by Grimes being handed a WIDE OPEN three to win it.

Still, I would rather have the ball with Oubre (2/4) or Edgecombe (2/3) with the ball on the inbounds with a chance to win it. Instead we witnessed Quentin Grimes go 0/5 from three and the Sixers get handed their second loss of the season.

I would hope the last second loss is a Nick Nurse wakeup call

This loss should be a wake-up call for Nick Nurse.

His second-half schemes are costing this team winnable games and exhausting Maxey in the process. The Sixers need to embrace their depth and versatility instead of forcing everything through Embiid isolations.

The offense has to evolve or the pattern will keep repeating.

Tonight the Sixers are in Cleveland and gives Nick Nurse the perfect opportunity to learn from what happened in Chicago. If not, the Sixers will keep playing one half basketball then we’re quite literally going to keep getting handed just half of the results.

76ers fans turning on Joel Embiid after a team collapse in Chicago is gross

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