The Philadelphia 76ers stepped onto the court for the second time in three nights in a game that supposedly mattered—though opinions vary. On paper, it pitted the East’s final playoff spot holder against a team ready to unseat them. But, honestly, most fans of the Sixers and the struggling Bulls had a secret wish: they hoped Philly would lose to boost their draft lottery chances.
And lose they did. The Bulls ran roughshod over the Sixers from the opening tip, delivering a 142-110 blowout that marked their eighth straight loss. If you were rooting for a tank, Monday night hit the mark. The team looked completely checked out, like they’d already given up on trying. It was a painful display of indifference—if you love seeing teams tank for a future draft boost, this was your night.
Even Nick Nurse stopped pretending. He had mentally checked out of the game. If the humiliation by the Bulls wasn’t enough, even the Bulls broadcasters made fun of Philly boss. The crew struggled to get their words out as they joked about Philadelphia head coach Nurse, who looked completely over it on the sidelines.
“Nick Nurse is like, why am I still standing here? Watching this thing, I think there’s a ‘Should I challenge it?’” one broadcaster said, barely getting the words out between laughs.
“Nick has given up. He’s just sticking up,” another added, as the laughter continued.
The jokes kept rolling as the broadcasters playfully sympathized with Nurse. “Nick, listen, I, I have enjoyed my time with Nick. He’s one of the good kids,” one quipped. “He’s a really good coach, but he is—no, he has just checked out Rocky IV style at this point.”
At one point, a missed opportunity by Adem Bona added to the chaos. “Adem Bona can’t finish. Oh, he cannot finish,” they chuckled.
Between the blowout loss and the broadcasters’ uncontrollable laughter, it was a rough night for Nick Nurse. “Is it poor Nick Nurse, man? Look at Nick’s face,” they said, their amusement at an all-time high.
The Philadelphia 76ers are setting basketball back 50 years pic.twitter.com/9zWrt9twGg
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) February 25, 2025
The Bulls’ broadcasters could barely get their words out through the laughter, but for the Sixers, there wasn’t much to smile about. The team was once again forced to shuffle its lineup after Joel Embiid was ruled out. Initially listed as questionable, the reigning MVP sat out as he and the team explored potential solutions—including another surgery—for his left knee.
With Embiid sidelined, Philly rolled out its 36th different starting lineup this season. That instability only got worse when two of their starters didn’t even make it through the game. Guerschon Yabusele went down with a corneal abrasion in his right eye, and Quentin Grimes exited in the third quarter due to right knee soreness. Well their crisis only gets worse.
This is a developing story…
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