NBA: Nuggets score 72 first half points and rout short-handed 76ers

Christian Braun scored 22 points and Cameron Johnson added 18 as the host Denver Nuggets used a dominant first half to rout a depleted Philadelphia 76ers, 124-96, on Tuesday night.

Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, and Bruce Brown each contributed 12 points, while Nikola Jokic dished out 14 assists for Denver, which never trailed in the game. The Nuggets, who started 17-13 at home, will play nine of their final 13 games in Denver.

The win keeps Denver in fifth place in the tight Western Conference race, just 1½ games behind third-place Los Angeles Lakers.

For Philadelphia, MarJon Beauchamp led the way with 16 points, Quentin Grimes and Trendon Watford added 12 each, and Justin Edwards chipped in 11. Andre Drummond grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, but the Sixers’ brief two-game winning streak came to an end. Philadelphia sits ninth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind red-hot Atlanta, winners of 10 straight.

The 76ers were without Joel Embiid (oblique strain), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left elbow sprain), and Tyrese Maxey (sprained right finger). Embiid drew loud boos from Nuggets fans while sitting on Philadelphia’s bench in the third quarter. He has not played in Denver since the 2019-20 season, missing a highly anticipated matchup against Jokic.

Denver controlled the game from the start, ending the first quarter on an 18-8 run to lead 38-22. Another surge at the start of the second quarter extended the lead to 53-27, highlighted by Brown’s finger-roll layup. The Nuggets took a 72-40 lead into halftime, shooting 25 of 44 from the field (56.8%) and 9 of 17 from 3-point range (52.9%). The 40 points allowed marked the fewest Denver has given up in the first half all season.

Philadelphia cut the deficit to 27 early in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer from Gordon and layups by Jokic and Braun restored the 32-point margin. Consecutive 3-pointers by Drummond and Beauchamp briefly trimmed the gap to 94-69 with 1:39 left in the period, but free throws and a turnaround jumper by Jonas Valanciunas pushed Denver’s lead back to 31, taking a 100-71 advantage into the fourth quarter.

-Field Level Media/Reuters