Nick Nurse, Kelly Oubre Jr. sound off on frustrations with refs in 76ers' loss to Clippers

28/03/2024 06:23

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in James Harden’s return to his former home arena. The tension in the arena was amplified in a wild, down-to-the-wire game that ended in a 108-107 defeat for the Sixers.

The Sixers led by 15 in the first half but failed to truly pull away from a Clippers team playing uninspired ball. Late in the game, a string of mistakes undid Philly’s foothold. Tyrese Maxey’s strong performance (26 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) will be mostly remembered for stumbling on an inbound pass, giving Amir Coffey a fast break that resulted in a shooting foul. Kawhi Leonard twice pierced the Philly defense for an and-one layup. And in the final moment of the game, Kelly Oubre Jr. took too long to get a good shot off.

Oubre got the chance to take the final shot after a scramble for a jump ball but didn't release the shot in time, driving right at Paul George instead of pulling up for a jumper from the elbow. The 76ers wing fell to the ground before springing back up to join head coach Nick Nurse in criticizing the officials.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse and Kelly Oubre Jr. were FURIOUS that no foul was called on the final possession

Clippers hold on for the win.pic.twitter.com/ZXEsTn9zcp

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 28, 2024

Nick Nurse, Kelly Oubre Jr. discuss officiating in 76ers’ loss to Clippers

"Listen,I think he took itin there prettyhard," Nurse said. "I looked at it on thescreen,on our computera couple of times.I thought therewascertainlycontact,certainlyasmuch as the last twoor three that got called and-ones at the other end. And that’s all. I just thought it was enough contact to call. But that's the way it goes sometimes."

The referees admitting in the postgame pool report that George should have been called for a foul won’t make the 76ers feel much better. While Nurse chewed out the officials, Oubre pointed and cursed at each one before being pulled away by Maxey. He apologized immediately in his postgame media availability.

"Thisis an intensebasketball game of course. And,you know, we’renot perfect. Therefsaren’t perfect," Oubre said. "I wannaapologizeforjustlosingmy cool ’cause that’s something I try to work oneachand every dayandtry to represent God in the best way I possibly can. And thatwasn’tit."

Oubre’s ability to drive to the hoop and unshakable confidence often help the 76ers, whose offense can become stagnant when Maxey isn't carrying the load. But in a split-second moment where more consideration for the clock was needed, it left Philly on a precarious ledge that the refs didn't save them from falling off of. They made the wrong call, yes, but putting the balance of the game in the hands of officials is a roll of the dice that teams and players must try to avoid at all costs.

Oubre said that there was "absolutely contact" from George and echoed Nurse’s point that the game wasn't always called both ways. Seeing Nurse so intense, he said, inspired him to give the referees a piece of his mind.

"If our coachis gonna fightfor us and he’sgoingthere,thenI’mrightbehindhim. But at the end of the day,itwasn’t cool," Oubre said, adding that he would accept any punishments handed down for his outburst.

The Sixers had defeated the Clippers in their place over the weekend, marking one of their best Joel Embiid-less wins of the season. This loss isn't one of their worst but, given how much they had led by and how many opportunities they left on the table, it surely stings badly. The competitive fire was apparent and understandable for such a close game in which the Wells Fargo Center crowd was amped.

"WhatI make of it," Maxey said when asked about Nurse and Oubre’s heated moment, "isthosetwoguysreallywanted to win. Theyreallywantedtowin.Kellyplayedhistailoff.Coach Nursecameupwithagreatgameplan againandhecoachedhistailoff. When you lose likethat,it’shard. You becomeemotional. I was sadaboutuslosing,too, so I understandit."

Every 76ers loss only further entrenches them in the play-in games. After letting Harden come back to town and leave with a win, the Sixers have to pick up the pieces and try to get back in the W column.

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