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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse was reportedly absent from the team Tuesday to attend his brother’s funeral in Iowa.
The nurse’s brother, Steve, died suddenly last Wednesday at age 62, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Steve Nurse died the day before his brother Nick coached the 76ers to a victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6.
Nurse was on the 76ers bench during the team’s 137-98 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. He is expected to return Tuesday night before the 76ers face 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 recovered from a 3-1 deficit against the Boston Celtics, winning three straight games to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, winning the series on Saturday night.
On Monday night, the 76ers looked like a team that had spent its previous three games expending significant emotional energy just to get to the second round, while the Knicks managed to pull out the victory.
The Knicks, at one point in Game 1, held a 40-point lead. Their dominant victory against the 76ers was an extension of their game against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse calls out to his players during the first half of Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Massachusetts, April 28, 2026. (Photo Charles Krupa/AP)
They became the first team in NBA history to win three consecutive playoff games by at least 25 points.
After leading 2-1 against the Hawks, the Knicks won four straight games with 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 shouts during a timeout in the second half of Game 1 of 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.
