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Loss to Denver streakin' disgrace

When you're in the midst of a winning streak, luck and good fortune is always by your side. When you're mired in a losing one, the inexplicable becomes ordinary.

Evan Turner (12) reacts after missing two free throws with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Denver Nuggets' 101-100 victory in an NBA basketball game in Denver, Thursday, March 21, 2013. (David Zalubowski/AP)
Evan Turner (12) reacts after missing two free throws with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Denver Nuggets' 101-100 victory in an NBA basketball game in Denver, Thursday, March 21, 2013. (David Zalubowski/AP)Read more

DENVER - When you're in the midst of a winning streak, luck and good fortune is always by your side. When you're mired in a losing one, the inexplicable becomes ordinary.

The Nuggets' Corey Brewer, fouled on a desperation three-point shot with 2.1 seconds left, made all three foul shots Thursday night to complete an improbable comeback and steal a 101-100 victory over the 76ers.

Brewer's winning free throws were preceded by the Sixers' Evan Turner missing two foul shots with 7.1 seconds left and the foul by Damien Wilkins that put Brewer on the line. But there were more faults in the final couple of minutes that led to Denver extending its winning streak and the Sixers their road losing streak.

The Sixers held a 98-90 lead with 2 minutes left. They then committed a foul in the backcourt, had a shot-clock violation, missed a layup, missed two foul shots and fouled on a three-point shot that ultimately provided the winning margin.

The focus of the downfall will go to Turner missing the two free throws with the Sixers holding a 100-98 lead. After a timeout, Brewer took a pass and launched a long three-pointer, only to be fouled by Wilkins. He calmly made all three free throws.

"We made six bad plays," said coach Doug Collins, whose team fell to 26-42. "And we lose by one. Those are mistakes. We made bad plays. I don't know what you want me to do to dissect the plays. We had the game in hand, we've got to win that game. They are riding high, but we've got to win that game. We're out here scratching on the road. We're not giving up on this season. We're not going to make the playoffs but we're not giving up on the season. It's disappointing. We've got guys who played in 18 playoff games."

The Nuggets come at you like snowflakes in a blizzard. They'll hit you here with their offense, smack you there with defense. And just when you seem to think you've gotten hold of a certain group on the floor, coach George Karl will send another wave that changes the speed of the game.

The Sixers had a lot of daunting streaks staring them in the face. They hadn't won a road game since Jan. 1, losing 14 in succession. They were playing a team that had won 15 straight at home and 13 in a row overall. All those streaks were extended as Denver improved its record to 48-22.

After falling behind by five and scoring only 17 points in the first quarter, the Nuggets turned the Sixers over on three of their first eight possessions, made their first five shots and got control of the game in a flash. They finished the quarter hitting 15 of their 22 shots and outscored the Sixers by 34-22.

The Nuggets' domain is inside the lane. In the first quarter they collected only four points there. In the second, they scored 22 of their 34 in the paint. They finished with 48 inside the lane, where they average a league-best 58.

"Anything that could go wrong did go wrong," said Turner, who finished with 12 points and six turnovers. "I don't think there's anyone to point the finger at. We played hard the whole game. It was just what could go wrong did go wrong. Effort was there, energy was there, it's just about closing out the game. Situations occurred and you don't want to point fingers at anybody. That was some crazy stuff that happened out there."

And the Sixers didn't even face a Denver team that was at full strength. Starting point guard Ty Lawson was out with a heel strain and forward Wilson Chandler missed the game with a separated shoulder. But a strength of Karl's team is its depth, and Andre Miller, who turned 37 this week, filled in more than admirably for Lawson, getting 21 points and eight assists. Brewer led Denver with 29 points and Andre Iguodala had 13.

"The one thing George talked about was when you really, really have a good team, normally you have a great bench because your great bench puts pressure on your starters to play well every night, because if they don't they know the coach will go to the bench," said Collins. "I think that's a real strength of Denver, when they go to their bench they can score, they can do multiple things, they've got high energy, and then he talked about passing and that passing wins championships. I totally agree with him."

Wilkins led the Sixers with 24 points while Jrue Holiday had 18 points and 15 assists. Spencer Hawes, who fouled out with 1 minute, 52 seconds left in the game, continued his strong play with 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

Blog: philly.com/Sixerville