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Multiple Rockets Players Singled Out by 76ers' Nick Nurse on Wednesday

The Houston Rockets earned plenty of praise from Nick Nurse on Wednesday.

Justin Grasso

Nov 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse reacts during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Nov 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse reacts during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Throughout their first 17 games of the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers have faced some of the NBA’s top squads. In the eyes of Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, there might not be a team better than the Houston Rockets.

“This is the best team we’ve seen so far this year,” Nurse said before Wednesday’s game.

The struggling Sixers would take Houston to overtime hours later

Both teams were facing tough circumstances on Wednesday. The Rockets were coming off of a late-game victory on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the eve of their matchup against the Sixers. Philly entered the matchup shorthanded, missing Joel Embiid, Paul George, Caleb Martin, and Kyle Lowry.

At 3-13, the Sixers took the Rockets down to the wire, forming a comeback from a 13-point deficit and forcing overtime. Unfortunately for the home team, they couldn’t close out the extra period on the right side of the scoreboard.

The Sixers fell short against the Rockets with a 122-115 loss. Before the game, Nurse had plenty of praise for the big man, Alperen Sengun.

“They got a tremendous, I mean, tremendous big man. He is so good,” Nurse explained.

For most of the game, the Sixers felt satisfied with their ability to slow down Sengun. In 30 minutes of action, he had just 11 points on the offensive end. However, the game changed in overtime, as Sengun had an 11-point burst, scoring all but three of Houston’s OT production.

Beyond Sengun, Nurse showed his bias by singling out his old friend, Fred VanVleet.

“They’ve got an awesome, but I’m biased, point guard who’s playing very well, but it’s kind of his team. He’s a winner, he’s a leader. He’s obviously got a handle on them as a leader,” the head coach added.

While those are the two guys Nurse singled out, he didn’t stop there with the praise for Wednesday’s opponent.

“They just start bringing athlete after athlete after athlete. They got speed, length, size, and then when those [guys] check out they bring in three more, right? They got some depth at the center. Very well coached. They're on the glass. They're defensive, pressuring, creating turnovers. They're amazing in the fastbreak, turning defense into offense. So, as you can see, I think they're pretty good,” he finished.

The Rockets advanced to 14-6 on the season on Wednesday night. They’ve now won eight of their last ten games and place within the Western Conference’s top three.

As for the Sixers, they dropped to 3-14 on the year. Not only do they have a long way to go to get back within the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture, but they are still working on getting healthier.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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