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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse was reportedly away from the team on Tuesday to attend his brother’s funeral in Iowa.
Nurse’s brother, Steve, died unexpectedly last Wednesday at 62, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Steve Nurse died the day before his brother Nick coached the 76ers to a win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6.
Nurse was on the 76ers bench during the team’s blowout 137-98 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. He is expected to return on Tuesday night before the 76ers play the Knicks in Game 2 on Wednesday, according to the report.
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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse coaches during a game against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, on May 4, 2026. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
The 76ers rallied from a 3-1 deficit against the Boston Celtics, winning three straight games to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, clinching the series on Saturday night.
On Monday night, the 76ers looked like a team that had spent their previous three games expending significant emotional energy just to get to the second round, as the Knicks had their way in the win.
The Knicks at one point in Game 1 held a 40-point lead. Their dominant win over the 76ers was an extension of their play against the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round.
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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse calls to his players during the first half of Game 5 of a first-round NBA playoffs series against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 28, 2026. (Charles Krupa/AP Photo)
They became the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points.
After trailing 2-1 against the Hawks, the Knicks have won four straight games by a total of 135 points. They are the first team since detailed play-by-play began in 1996-97 to lead three straight playoff games by at least 30 points, according to Sportradar.
Jalen Brunson scored 35 points in the win, OG Anunoby scored 18 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each scored 17 points. None of the Knicks starters played in the fourth quarter.
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Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse yells during a timeout in the second half of Game 1 in the second round of the NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks in New York, New York, on May 4, 2026. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
Nurse’s 76ers will look to turn things around against the Knicks on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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