Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, Seth Curry had 20, and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers beat the Denver Nuggets 103-89 on Thursday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
Tobias Harris scored 17, Shake Milton and Charles Bassey had 12 apiece and Georges Niang scored 11 for short-handed Philadelphia.
The Sixers played their sixth straight game without Joel Embiid, while Matisse Thybulle has sat for seven games. Both players tested positive for COVID-19 and have been away from the team.
Nikola Jokic had 30 points and 10 rebounds, Will Barton scored 19 points and Monte Morris finished with 11 for the Nuggets.
Philadelphia led 58-52 at halftime and increased the margin to 11 points in the first few minutes of the third quarter. Denver fought back to get within six again on a 3-pointer by Barton, and Morris made it 66-61 with a layup.
But the Sixers responded to take control. Curry hit a bank shot and Harris a 10-footer to stretch the lead to nine when Nuggets coach Michael Malone was hit with two technical fouls and ejected from the game with 6:04 left.
Curry made two free throws, Philadelphia hit a trio of 3-pointers and two jumpers by Harris completed a 19-3 run to make it 85-65.
The Sixers extended the lead to 91-69 early in the fourth, but Austin Rivers hit a corner 3-pointer and Morris made a driving layup to cut the deficit to 17.
Curry hit a jumper out of a timeout, JaMychal Green answered with a 3-pointer and Morris had a steal and layup to get within 93-79. Denver had a chance to get closer, but Aaron Gordon missed a jumper and Philadelphia closed it out.
The Sixers took control in the second quarter. Curry hit a 3-pointer, Furkan Korkmaz had a layup, Milton hit another from long range and Bassey converted a three-point play during an 11-0 run that put Philadelphia ahead 35-25.
Jokic’s bucket broke the streak, but Curry and Korkmaz answered with 3-pointers, and Niang’s shot from behind the arc made it a 16-point game.
The Nuggets made a run to get within six at halftime.
–Field Level Media
