Nick Nurse Praises Two Sixers Vets After Win vs. Lakers

Sixers coach impressed by play of Marcus Morris, Patrick Beverley

On Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers had multiple standouts in their win over the LA Lakers. Aside from Joel Embiid notching his first triple-double of the season, there were two unlikely heroes from the second unit. 

Patrick Beverley is mainly known for his defensive impact, but that wasn't the case against his former team. The Lakers were daring him to be a scorer, and he managed to make them pay. Beverley connected on four of his eight three-point attempts en route to notching 12 points off the bench. 

The other unlikely standout from Monday's win was Marcus Morris. Since coming over to the Sixers, the Philly native hasn't gotten much playing time. However, Nick Nurse has given Morris an extended run the past few games, and he is making the most of the opportunity. 

It was an extremely efficient night for Morris, scoring 16 points in only 19 minutes of action. He shot a stellar 6-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. 

After the game, Nurse shared his thoughts on the play of the two veterans. He feels they've both been crucial over the past week, and their three-point shooting provided a huge lift against LA. 

"Those two guys especially, not only helped out on the court tonight gave us a lift, but they’ve been great lifts for the past five or six days, really showing some veteran presence in practice film, pushing everybody to get really focused in and locked in and stuff and it’s great that they get rewarded with some three-balls," Nurse said. "I think they’re both pretty good shooters, career-wise, you know, 36 to 38 [percent] for career three’s, and asking them to take them if opportunities are there, and again, it’s good that they stepped into them and made them tonight."

With the rotation still not set in stone, Beverley and Morris both made a strong case as to why they are deserving of consistent minutes moving forward.