Even Nick Nurse admits Philadelphia ‘wasn’t very good’ in the 4th quarter against the Cavs

The The Philadelphia 76ers dropped a tough game on Friday to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland’s young star Jaylon Tyson scored 39 points and managed to beat Cleveland 117-115.

After the game, the 76ers head coach Nick Nurse openly about team performance in loss.

“This one wasn’t very good,” the nurse told NBC Sports Philadelphia.

“This one wasn’t very good.”

Nick Nurse assesses how the Sixers’ lack of late-game execution has led to them falling behind multiple times this season. | @Kia pic.twitter.com/iNsCJJK1ea

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilli) January 17, 2026

Philadelphia dropped to 22-18 on the season with the loss. The 76ers allowed 33 points to Cleveland in the fourth quarter to lose control of the game.

The nurse says his team needs to clean up how they play in crisis situations.

“There were a few more where we could have done some things. You know in the Toronto game, we didn’t get the ball into the box, and we had a couple of guys with pretty simple plays and we didn’t make them,” Nurse added.

The 76ers were led in the game by their star big man Joel Embiid. Embiid scored 33 points, while Tyrese Maxey added 22 for Philly. Four other 76ers players finished the game in double figures.

Philadelphia has now dropped back-to-back games.

The 76ers struggled to make shots against the Cavaliers

Philadelphia struggled to put the ball in the net all night against Cleveland. The 76ers finished the game shooting just 37 percent from three-point range. Philadelphia also shot just 47 percent overall, while the Cavaliers were better than 51 percent from the floor.

The defense was there for the club, however, as the 76ers forced 18 turnovers on Cleveland. That allowed Philadelphia to take a significant lead in the fourth quarter. Things soon went downhill, as Cleveland went on a 13-2 run in the fourth quarter to eventually take the game.

The Philadelphia coach must be disappointed with his team’s performance. The 76ers were throttled by Cleveland just days before losing to them again on Friday.

The 76ers need to shake off this loss quickly. Philadelphia will play against the lowly Indiana Pacers on Monday.