Why Did 76ers Leave Maxey Benched in Crunch Time vs. Nuggets?

The 76ers had a chance to complete a comeback against the Nuggets, but they didn't take a chance on rolling the starters back out.

With Joel Embiid and James Harden ruled out for the Philadelphia 76ers’ Monday night matchup against the Denver Nuggets, all eyes were on Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris to carry the offense.

Through the first quarter of action, Harris led the way by draining two threes and scoring eight points in eight minutes. Maxey was right behind him by draining two of his five shot attempts, putting up five points. While it was a low-scoring quarter for the Sixers, they stayed within reach as they trailed 25-18 through one quarter.

Maxey’s second-quarter performance was nothing short of spectacular. Despite the Nuggets throwing everything they could at the former first-round pick, Maxey answered by draining eight of his 11 shots, scoring 20 points in 12 minutes. 

With Maxey leading the Sixers through a 39-point second quarter, the Sixers had the game within four points going into halftime. Just as it seemed Maxey and the Sixers might be able to turn the tables in the second half, Denver went on a run.

Draining 53 percent of their 21 shots and knocking down two of their five threes, the Nuggets scored 30 points in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Sixers produced on just 38 percent of their shots and failed to make any of their seven shots from beyond the arc. After getting outscored 30-20, the Sixers entered the fourth quarter trailing by 14 points.

In the final quarter, Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton played fewer than three minutes. Dewayne Dedmon and PJ Tucker got the rest of the night off. While Maxey led all starters in minutes during the fourth quarter, he didn’t exceed a four-minute shift. 

Doc Rivers cleared the Sixers’ bench, offering minutes to everybody, including Montrezl Harrell, Jaden Springer, and Furkan Korkmaz. As a comeback seemed unlikely, the Sixers didn’t want to risk any injuries. But with the unit making an improbable comeback, getting the game within one possession with roughly one minute left to go in the game, a win was realistically in Philly’s reach.

Key players such as Maxey, Harris, and Melton would not re-take the floor. After the game, Doc Rivers explained why he opted to continue rolling with the unit full of reserves.

“There was never a thought,” Rivers explained during his postgame press conference. “That group got us back into it, honestly. You know, that's how you get injuries. You put a guy in, think he's turned it off, and you bring them in, and something happens. We were happy with the way it turned out, obviously. You know, it's just the turnovers on that one stretch, beginning of the third, that's when you're undermanned, you just can't give a good team a gap. You know, and that basically was a difference in the game.”

Bringing in a guy like Maxey or Harris could’ve made the difference down the stretch of the fourth quarter on Monday, but Rivers didn’t want to take the risk. As the team was already down two starters with Embiid and Harden off the floor, the Sixers couldn’t afford another injury just a couple of weeks before the playoffs.

While the reserves did a solid job of climbing back and outscoring the Nuggets in the fourth quarter, the Sixers still came up short with a 116-111 loss. With that defeat, Philadelphia heads back home with three-straight losses on the four-game road trip.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.