NBA: Nick Nurse rejoins 76ers after brother’s funeral

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse looks on during the first half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

NEW YORK— Nick Nurse rejoined the Philadelphia 76ers after attending his brother’s funeral, saying Wednesday that Steve Nurse was a fan who would want him at Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.

Nurse was in Ankeny, Iowa, on Tuesday, the day between the first two games of the series against the Knicks in New York.

“I mean, kind of the film and the practice and the game and all that stuff kind of takes care of some time, right?” Nurse said before the game. “But I’m here coaching and my brother would expect me to be. He was a huge fan. He wants us to go play, he wants us to play hard, so that’s what we’re going to try to do tonight.”

Steve Nurse died unexpectedly at age 62 last Wednesday. Nick Nurse had remained with the 76ers as they rallied from a 3-1 deficit to knock off Boston in the first round, then fell to the Knicks 137-98 on Monday.

Philadelphia fell 2-0 after a 108-102 loss on Wednesday.

Nick Nurse said he and his family had received a lot of support, thanking opposing coach Mike Brown for offering his condolences when he began his news conference after the Knicks practiced Tuesday.