Story by
Nick Nurse drops eye-opening assessment of 76ers’ Game 2 defense vs. Jalen Brunson
- Story by
- Nick Nurse drops eye-opening assessment of 76ers’ Game 2 defense vs. Jalen Brunson
Nick Nurse drops eye-opening assessment of 76ers’ Game 2 defense vs. Jalen Brunson appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Jalen Brunson lit up the Philadelphia 76ers with 26 points in the New York Knicks’ Game 2 win . That type of night would anger most opposing head coaches including Nick Nurse especially during the NBA Playoffs.
Advertisement
Yet Nurse dropped an eye-opening assessment of Philly’s defensive effort against NYK’s top scorer. Nurse surprisingly called the 76ers’ plan against Brunson “above average” in addressing reporters postgame.
“He certainly wasn’t getting near the clearance as he was in Game 1. He was getting practice shots a lot in that game. I think the challenges were much better,” Nurse said.
Brunson still went 9-of-21 from field goal range. He dished out six assists and grabbed one steal on the defensive side.
Nurse praised the defensive energy, but still watched Brunson hit this pullup jumper late in the fourth quarter.
New York exploded with hitting 137 points to start the second round series. Nurse watched NYK bury 63.1% of its field goals including hitting 51.4 from behind the arc. Nurse’s new approach led to the Knicks hitting only 50.6% of their baskets, but 26.9% from 3-point land. Still, the Sixers crumbled late and now finds themselves down 2-0.
Advertisement
“We played good enough defense to win that game, especially in the fourth. Holding them to 19 in the fourth, you’ve got to hope you can score more than 20 in a quarter,” Nurse added.
Turnovers buried the 76ers inside Madison Square Garden with Philadelphia committing 18 total. New York scored 23 points off those miscues.
Nurse likely must tweak the interior defense too, even with Joel Embiid a scratch for this contest due to hip and ankle injuries . New York piled 56 points in the paint compared to Philly’s 30.
Related: Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns thanks John Calipari after viral Game 2 moment vs. 76ers
Related: Paul George reveals what went wrong for 76ers in Game 2’s 4th quarter
