Nick Nurse’s Sixers are horrendous in the third quarter

When asked about the Sixers’ horrendously bad third quarters, Nick Nurse responded, “I think it’s just basketball.” Which is the equivalent of saying “well, that’s just life,” when something terrible happens, because you really don’t have the answer. Nurse does not have the answer to this team’s third-quarter struggles, and that’s a problem.

This Nick Nurse-coached Sixers team is giving me PTSD of the Doc Rivers variety.

It’s reminiscent of when Doc Rivers was the Sixers’ coach in 2023. The Sixers were down by three at halftime against the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, only to come out to score only ten points in the third quarter and lose the series. Granted, Rivers was fired almost immediately after that collapse.

But I remember telling people that I genuinely believed he went into that locker room at halftime and made zero adjustments to his game plan, while the Celtics did. It’s almost like the point of halftime is to adjust and to motivate your players to respond to what’s happening on the court.

Now, I’m really struggling to imagine what pep-talk or game plan Nurse is offering to get the Sixers to be this bad when they come out of the locker room. I’m getting Rivers deja vu, where there are no adjustments, no responses, and no urgency.

Now it’s time for the pitiful numbers that back it up. They are currently dead last in points per third quarter with 23.4, nearly ten points less than their average in any other quarter. The only game they haven’t been outscored in the third quarter was against the Celtics, and they still lost.

Their three-point percentage also plummets to 26.6% in the third. Defensively, they are just as bad, allowing a league-worst 32.2 points per third quarter. To tie it all together, they have a net rating of -36.3 in those twelve minutes, which is among the worst in the league.

The third quarter runs by opponents indicate a lack of energy and intensity after halftime. Our highest-paid players don’t perform with Joel Embiid not playing like his MVP self anymore, and Paul George just not playing. Minutes restrictions and injuries are forcing other players to play heavy minutes, leading to a lack of fresh legs for the third quarter. But their fourth quarter numbers jump right back up to where they were in the first half, so is this really the main issue?

It’s possible the larger issue is with Nurse’s coaching approach. His offense becomes stagnant in the third quarter, and he continues to deviate from the collective and fluid group style in the first half.

Maxey is phenomenal, but there is only so much he can do. One of the most frustrating things about Nurse is his refusal to give a straightforward answer on the team’s struggles.

After the Pistons game, Maxey explained, “We didn’t follow the game plan after halftime.” While it’s Nurse’s job to get this team to play better basketball. His “it is what it is” attitude towards issues does nothing to correct mistakes or hold players accountable. At this point, Maxey seems to hold himself and his teammates more accountable than the head coach at this point

The Sixers are playing good basketball so far this season, but it’s naive to be completely optimistic about this team and ignore its blatant flaws. The team getting absolutely obliterated in the third quarter is now more consistent than their roster’s availability.

After last season, it was fair to give Nurse the benefit of the doubt, given the roster inconsistency. But as we approach year two, time is running out. Either Nurse has
to figure out a way for this team to fix their struggles, or Daryl Morey will have to start finding players or personnel who can.

Gear up in the TLL Shop