Nick Nurse lost the plot down the stretch of Game 2.
The Philadelphia 76ers fell into an 0-2 hole on Wednesday with a 108-102 loss to the New York Knicks. Philly lost a teeter-totter battle at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. after the Knicks closed the game on a late 12-3 run.
One particular decision by the 76ers head coach Nurse drew scrutiny online. With Knicks star Jalen Brunson making multiple clutch midrange jumpers off single coverage down the stretch, many fans questioned why Nurse chose not to throw a double team at Brunson.
How do you just let Brunson iso in the middle of the floor with no help. Nurse is slow bruh.
— (@TheWestbrookEra) May 7, 2026
NURSE DIDNT THINK ABOUT DOUBLING BRUNSON 3 POSSESSIONS AGO????
— the milkman (@iLowkeyB__) May 7, 2026
76ers not doubling Brunson off the screen lol
— Sonny (@RoadDogShoota) May 7, 2026
Nurse gotta make Brunson give it up late in the clock!
— Tall Pines (@jayathlete) May 7, 2026
In the earlier stages of Game 2, the 76ers actually blitzed Brunson off pick-and-rolls far more often than in Game 1. But during the most crucial stages of Wednesday’s game, Nurse decided to go back to defending Brunson one-on-one … to very poor results.
In fairness, Philadelphia was playing without Joel Embiid (ankle, hip) in Game 2. That meant Nurse had to get creative with a shortened rotation and was forced to change up strategies and coverages on the fly.
But the former NBA champion head coach Nurse is still behind the 8-ball in his second season with the 76ers. He went a miserable 24-58 with Philadelphia last year and now has a lot riding on this year’s playoffs (though Nurse did gain praise from some high-profile figures after the 76ers’ first-round victory over the Boston Celtics).
