Nick Nurse remains confident that the 76ers can still turn the season around.

“Our numbers of games with guys healthy are still very, very low,” the coach said. “And I’m not keeping track as much as you guys are, but it’s still less than 10.”

Wednesday’s 125-119 overtime loss to the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center was the 39th game of the season for the Sixers. There are 43 games remaining in the regular season.

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“So that’s a lot of basketball,” the coach said.

And his Sixers (15-24) almost came close to pulling off a momentum-building upset against one of their Atlantic Division rivals. But the Knicks (27-15) scored the first eight points of the overtime en route to outscoring the Sixers, 16-10, in the extra session.

Former Villanova standout Jalen Brunson scored eight of his game-high 38 points in overtime. The Sixers have now lost four straight and dropped seven of their last nine games after winning 10 of their previous 13

“We’re just going to have to get a little bit healthier,” Nurse said. “And I remain optimistic that we will. And when we are, I like the way things trend at times.

“But it is tough when you are missing not only your main guys, but another four or five guys to move and fill in. All that kind of stuff puts a little stress on everyone in the organization.”

On this night, the Sixers were without six players, including Joel Embiid.

The 2023 NBA MVP missed his fifth consecutive game with a sprained left foot while still dealing with left knee e management. However, the Sixers welcomed back Paul George (right ankle soreness) and Tyrese Maxey (sprained left hand) after they missed Tuesday’s home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Part of Nurse’s confidence is the success Embiid, Maxey, and George have had in the few games they’ve all played together.

But the trio have only played 10 games together. The team is 7-3 in those contests, and 6-1 in games they have all completed.

George left the Nov. 20 loss to Memphis Grizzlies with the hyperextended left knee. Embiid suffered a game-ending right sinus fracture in a setback to the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 13. And Embiid was ejected in their Dec. 23 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Against the Knicks, Maxey overcome a rough shooting night to finish with 33 points, six rebounds, and six assists. George finished with 26 points to go with three rebounds and six assists. However, George only scored three points after the third quarter.

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Kelly Oubre Jr. (16 points, 10 rebounds), Eric Gordon (14 points), and Justin Edwards (10 points) were the Sixers’ other double-digit scorers.

Mikal Bridges, another former Villanova standout, added 23 points for the Knicks. And a third former Wildcat, Josh Hart, finished with 10 points and game highs of 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

The Sixers battled back from a 16-point deficit to knot the score at 85 on Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter.

While the Sixers fought hard, this wasn’t the version of the squad their fans had hoped to see on the court. They wanted to see Embiid on the floor with Maxey and George against the Knicks.

In addition to Embiid, Andre Drummond (sprained left toe), Kyle Lowry (sprained right hip), Caleb Martin (right groin soreness), KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction), and Jared McCain (left knee surgery) also missed Wednesday’s game. McCain hasn’t played since Dec. 13 and was ruled out for the remainder of the season last week.

The Sixers really missed Embiid, a 7-foot-2 center, and Drummond, the 6-11 backup center. The Knicks outrebounded the Sixers, 45-35. Philly didn’t grab a single rebound in overtime. And New York shot 71% in the paint for the game

The Knicks were without All-Star center and diehard Eagles fan Karl-Anthony Towns (sprained right thumb). The native of Edison, N.J., arrived at the arena in an Eagles sweater and wore it on the bench.

Up next

The Sixers will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (7 p.m., NBCSP). The Pacers (22-19) split the first two series meetings with the Sixers.