3 observations after Sixers erase 17-point deficit and then lose to Nets at the buzzer  

The Sixers’ second-half comeback was for naught Saturday night.

They suffered a seventh consecutive loss and the Nets grabbed a 105-103 win at Wells Fargo Center when Nic Claxton swooped in to convert a buzzer-beating put-back layup. 

The 20-36 Sixers' top scorer was Tyrese Maxey with 31 points.

Cam Johnson's 23 led the Nets, who improved to 21-35 on the season.

The Sixers remained without Justin Edwards (left ankle sprain), Eric Gordon (right wrist sprain), Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management) and Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus surgery). Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame he’s “hopeful” Edwards will be able to play Monday night vs. the Bulls.

Brooklyn’s sidelined players included D’Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas. 

Here are observations on the Sixers' latest loss:

Defense does not bounce right back

The Sixers executed a nice game-opening play, scoring the night’s first two points with a Maxey layup off of a between-the-legs Joel Embiid feed at the top of the key. Maxey posted eight points on 3-for-3 shooting in a little over two minutes and drained a pair of pull-up jumpers. 

Defensively, the Sixers were far too leaky. The Nets started 8 for 10 from the floor and the Sixers let them slip free for a variety of easy layups — off drives, off cuts, in transition.

Following their poor showing in Thursday night’s blowout defeat to the Celtics, the Sixers certainly did not snap back to a higher defensive level. Ziaire Williams’ wide-open corner three-pointer put the Nets up 20-15 before the midway point of the first quarter. Next time down, Kelly Oubre Jr. fouled Johnson on a long-range attempt. 

“There’s a lot we can do, it’s just a matter of if we want to do it or not,” Paul George said. “Still having the same conversations about 60 games in, it’s unacceptable. Just the amount of layups — uncontested at times — that we give up, it’s just unacceptable.”

The Sixers’ defensive woes had nothing to do with the Nets capitalizing on turnovers and profiting in the open floor. Even with only one first-quarter giveaway, the Sixers fell behind by double digits during Embiid’s initial stint. Brooklyn reached 40 points when Trendon Watford hit a floater just before the first-period buzzer. 

Embiid still many miles from his A-game 

Lonnie Walker IV checked in for his Sixers debut at the 5:44 mark of the first quarter. He replaced Oubre, who committed two early fouls and shot 1 for 5 from the floor in the first half. Walker was 0 for 3. 

Nurse gave David Roddy first-quarter minutes and surprisingly did not play Guerschon Yabusele until the start of the second quarter. The Sixers began the second with a lineup of Quentin Grimes, Walker, George, Yabusele and Andre Drummond. Jared Butler was out of the rotation with Grimes serving as the Sixers’ backup point guard. 

Ultimately, all the details about the Sixers’ supporting cast and rotation don’t tend to matter much when Embiid is nowhere near his MVP form. 

As Embiid acknowledged Thursday, he has not been his usual self on the court this season and continues to deal with left knee trouble. He started 1 for 5 from the field against Brooklyn. The Sixers went down 17 points in the second quarter on a short Claxton jumper over Embiid and the home fans booed as the Sixers headed to the bench. Late in the second, Embiid grabbed his left knee and grimaced as he walked to the bench following another timeout. 

Almost none of Embiid’s typical tricks were working Saturday. He missed two jumpers early in the third quarter and Claxton pivoted past him for a layup that extended the Nets’ lead to 71-54. 

Embiid played 31 minutes and recorded 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists. He declined to speak to reporters postgame.

When George was asked about returning from major injuries and what he can pass along to Embiid, he first quipped, “Drugs helped me.”

The 34-year-old has received injections recently to play through multiple lingering issues.

“I get it, especially for how big he is, the size he is and how he plays,” George said. “I know it takes a toll. I think the best thing for it is reps. Once your body is conditioned … for that constant beating and pounding. That was the best thing for me, just kind of playing through it and eventually adjusting to it, getting used to it.”

Grimes, Yabusele central to the comeback push

The Nets had a subpar shooting night (7 for 28 beyond the arc), which helped the Sixers hang around. 

After Brooklyn scored the evening’s first 11 fast-break points, the Sixers began to have a bit more transition success. An Embiid block created a fast break that Oubre polished off with a slam, cutting the Sixers’ deficit to 77-70 late in the third quarter. 

Nurse shortened his rotation in the second half, removing Drummond, Walker and Roddy. He also added Ricky Council IV to the mix and played Yabusele as both a power forward and backup center.

While the Sixers' collective energy and defensive effort improved, they missed several jumpers that could've done greater damage to the Nets' lead. Yabusele air balled a corner three early in the fourth quarter. Council was well short on a long-distance attempt, dropping the Sixers to 7 for 32 from three-point range as a team.

The Sixers weren't discouraged by those misfires, though. Grimes played strong on-ball defense to earn a stop against Johnson and George then drove in for a layup. In his third straight start, Grimes played quite well, tallying 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Yabusele was outstanding defensively in the fourth quarter, too. Grimes and Yabusele blitzed Watford and forced a turnover that led to a Maxey layup. Soon after that, Grimes drilled a go-ahead three.

With the Nets' lead shrinking and Yabusele thriving, Nurse kept Embiid on the bench for the fourth quarter.

Eventually, Brooklyn regained some momentum. Keon Johnson beat the shot clock and nailed a triple to lift the Nets to a 102-100 edge. Maxey evened the game by swishing a corner three with 23 seconds to go, but the Sixers couldn't secure the necessary stop to send the game to overtime.

Tons of good work to put the Nets in an uncomfortable position, but the Sixers needed to be close to flawless down the stretch after falling into a sizable hole.

“They played way harder than we did early on,” Maxey said. “I guess we think we can ease our way into games. And obviously, we’ve shown it … that’s not going to help us in the long run. That’s not going to help us in our current position as well.

“We tried to ease our way into the game, got hit in the mouth. We responded, but you can’t cheat the game. You can’t start off like that, play the right way, and then expect to win.”