CAMDEN, N.J. — Losing back-to-back games with less-than-ideal effort is not sitting well with Nick Nurse. The Philadelphia 76ers head coach was not happy with the way the team's first home back-to-back went.

A blowout loss to the New York Knicks and a lackluster defeat to the Utah Jazz are unacceptable for the Sixers — and their coach vehemently expressed his disappointment following the rough weekend of games. After losing to the Jazz in one of the worst displays of defense of the season, Nurse said that the next practice would be “physical”.

“I think that we did,” Nurse said of his promise about the Sixers' Monday practice. “We had a training-camp style practice today in length and in competition and all that kind of stuff. I think there was bits of about everything to prioritize from transition defense to guarding the ball to shot challenges to all that stuff.”

Nurse's displeasure with the Sixers' recent losses was palpable in the way he talked during his post-practice media availability.  The defensive miscues and lack of hustle did not sit well with him and the team. Allowing Utah to shoot almost 90 percent on shots in the paint and letting the Knicks go on a 33-9 run in the fourth quarter to close out the game showcased what Philly cannot do going forward.

The Sixers were without Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris for the Jazz game and without De'Anthony Melton and Robert Covington for both. But those injuries, as Nurse explained after the game and again at practice, do not consummate an excuse.

“Certainly gonna have ups and downs in any season,” Nurse said. “Obviously, the easy way out is to say, ‘Oh, we're beat up and we don't have enough people,’ and all that kind of stuff. But I can't accept that as the coach. There is a way we want to play regardless of who's out there. And that's what I gotta make sure to nip.”

Asked for his thoughts on the practice, K.J. Martin said that he enjoyed the high spirit of competition.

“Fun,” the Sixers forward said. “We got to go out and compete, play against each other. It's always fun playing five-on-five. Obviously, some practice days are more calm. But today, after we lost two in a row, I figured he wanted to pick the intensity up. So, it was fun.”

Compared to his predecessor, Doc Rivers, Nurse has the Sixers practicing more often, playing with a faster pace and operating in more complex systems on both ends of the court. The increased intensity should be to their benefit once the playoffs roll around. And losing the way that they did was a signal to Nurse that he needed to recalibrate his team to get back to building the right habits.

The Sixers' next game is on Wednesday, a road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid's status for that game is uncertain after missing Monday's practice. Nurse said that he hopes that he will be able to go. Regardless of whether he is able to suit up, expect Philly to come out with a refined sense of urgency.

“I just don't accept the effort. I don't accept the lack of defensive transition, the lack of shot challenges, all that kind of stuff. I can accept the shots not going in,” Nurse said, adding that “regardless of whether the ball's going in or not, you gotta still be able to put some type of style of play together that you're gonna be consistent with and some type of fight you're gonna be consistent with.”