The Denver Nuggets came back to Pepsi Center after their gut-wrenching overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves looking to end their 2017 schedule on a positive note. They welcomed an injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers squad who were without Joel Embiid but the Nuggets’ social media team made a dire mistake by talking trash to Lil B the Basedgod on twitter which led him to quickly responded by cursing the Nuggets for their matchup with Philadelphia.
NBA SIXERS TONIGHT WILL HANDLE THE DENVER NUGGETS FOR THE DISRESPECT TOWARDS LIL B.. AFTER THE GAME BLESSINGS WILL BE BACK TO NORMAL!! LETS PLAY FAIR BALL!! GO SIXERS ! GO NUGGETS!!! BUT SIXERS WILL HAVE AN AMAZING SAFE GAME!! GO SIXERS!!!! – Lil B
— Lil B THE BASEDGOD (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) December 31, 2017
The prophecy came to fruition as the Nuggets fell 107-102 to the 76ers on their own court after blowing a 14-point lead in the third quarter.
The first quarter started sloppily but Nikola Jokic did his best to calm the rest of the starting unit and eventually get the offense back into rhythm. Unfortunately, the Denver defense was allowing the 76ers to get into the paint at will which eventually culminated into the Nuggets trailing Philadelphia 31-29 at the end of the first period.
The Nuggets found their legs once the second quarter started and promptly went on a 13-4 run to start the period. The 76ers fought back but Denver kept up their defensive pressure and pushed the pace in transition. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris paced the Nuggets’ offense while Trey Lyles continued his onslaught from beyond the three-point arc with a quick 10 points in 12 minutes. Unfortunately, Denver’s defensive pressure faded to end the half as the 76ers were able to dwindle their deficit to just
The Nuggets carried a lead of 61-58 into halftime on the backs of their guards as Harris contributed 12 points and Murray followed that up with 18 points of his own. Jokic and Will Barton handled the facilitating duties as they combined for nine assists and a grand total of zero turnovers.
The third quarter started exactly as the second quarter did: with the Nuggets blowing the doors off of the 76ers. Denver started the third period on an 11-0 run while the 76ers failed to score for a grand total of 5:44 of the third quarter until Dario Saric hit a pair of free throws. Harris and Murray continued to pace the Nuggets but it was Harris’ defensive pressure that was the most impactful entity in the first six minutes of the third quarter.
Unfortunately, the 76ers responded with an 11-0 run themselves to bring the game back within striking distance for Philadelphia. The remainder of the third quarter was the Nuggets and 76ers trading blows until eventually the Nuggets lost the lead and headed into the final quarter down 83-80 behind a 25-4 run by the 76ers. Thankfully, Lyles hit a running three-pointer to beat the third quarter buzzers to help the Nuggets carry some momentum into the fourth quarter.
Jerryd Bayless proceeded to score eight-straight points for the 76ers to start the fourth quarter to immediately put the Nuggets into their biggest deficit of the game as they fell back 11 points leading to another timeout from Malone as he searched desperately for a combination of players that would play with great effort.
The Nuggets came out of the timeout with much more energy and poise but they still could not slow the Philadelphia offense. Lyles and Murray were doing everything possible to carry the Nuggets to a victory and eventually, their energy began seeping into the rest of the roster. Both Lyles and Murray continued attacking the rim relentlessly and continued to get to the foul line which kept Denver in the game throughout the fourth quarter.
Finally, the defense showed up after a long absence as Jokic blocked a T.J. McConnell three-point attempt and also forced a steal which brought Denver back within five points with 2:20 left to play.
The Nuggets brought the game within three points with under minute left and forced a turnover. Murray had the ball in his hands and got Will Barton a great look at three but the shot failed to drop leaving the Nuggets in a very bad spot — down three with 21.1 seconds left while the 76ers have the ball.Denver was forced to foul as they sent Robert Covington to the charity stripe and he calmly knocked down both freebies to end the Nuggets’ hope of a fourth-quarter redemption.
Denver dropped a 13-point lead that eventually led to what was one of the worst losses of the season. The Nuggets fall to 19-17 as 2017 comes to a close. They turn their sights to the Phoenix Suns next who they face on the 3rd of the year.
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