SALT LAKE CITY — Nick Nurse may have hit on the perfect term when describing a bizarre refereeing sequence late in the first half of Saturday’s 76ers game against the Utah Jazz.

When the Sixers tried to call a timeout to challenge what the coach thought would be a “clear out-of-bounds win,” they were instead whistled for delay of game – twice. But that allowed Nurse to challenge two out-of-bounds calls down the stretch, which the Sixers won both times.

“Weird-good,” Nurse said at the end of his postgame press conference, before chuckling at his own choice of words as he left the room.

Apply this to the development of various aspects of the game. The Sixers followed their best win of the season – on Christmas at the defending champion Boston Celtics – with one of their most tumultuous. Their 114-111 victory over the resurgent Jazz definitely contained something strange and just enough good. But for a team still coming off a terrible, injury-plagued start to the highly anticipated 2024-25 season, the Sixers can’t be picky when it comes to how they picked up their ninth win in 12 games and their record increased to 12-17.

“It was a good game for us after coming off the Christmas high and the hustle and bustle,” said All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, who finished the game with 32 points, six assists and two steals. “(The Jazz) play extremely hard. I think they are better than what their record (7-23) shows.

“I was really proud of how resilient we were.”

Nurse got even simpler at the start of his media session, saying his team played at “two extremes” in those 48 minutes on Saturday – from bad to very good.

This duality was present on defense. Nurse lamented his team’s inability to defend the ball while trailing by as many as 14 points in a poor first quarter and acknowledged mental disappointment after a shootout he described as “vigorous and focused.” , which surprised him. After that, the Sixers only gave up 18 points in a game-winning second quarter. Then that unit slipped again as the Jazz quickly erased the Sixers’ 11-point lead in the third quarter. Then the Sixers collected enough stops down the stretch to overcome a six-point deficit and take the lead.

” READ MORE: Finally healthy, the Sixers are slowly starting to turn things around: “We’ve come together a lot more”

“It wasn’t the best defensive performance for 48 minutes,” Nurse said. “But in critical times it was really good.”

“Good” and “weird” continue to exist when it comes to Paul George, the Sixers’ perennial All-Star rookie. Once again he struggled to produce a consistent flow of points (13 points on 4 of 11 shooting) and uncharacteristically split two free throws in the final minute. But he unleashed two of his better highlights of the season when he made a behind-the-back pass to Maxey for a one-handed dunk and later burst into the lane for his own slam. George also remained an all-around defender, recording a season-high five steals.

“We’re just figuring out who we are,” George said. “The way we play. How we cheer. How we mesh with each other. And I think whoever works well together. … I’m trying to find spots during the game where I can be aggressive and relieve myself (Maxey and Joel Embiid), try to get to my shot just so I can get back into the rhythm.”

What was very good and not at all strange on Saturday? That two-man game between Maxey and Embiid that, despite Embiid being unavailable for long stretches of the first 29 games, quickly recaptured what made them one of the NBA’s more dangerous offensive tandems last season . Even Saturday brought some uncertainty, as Embiid was ruled unfit to play with a left ankle sprain.

Embiid rolled to the basket after showing more than usual on Saturday, helping to create a move in the middle of the court that Nurse described as “so deadly.” Perhaps the best evidence of these players’ natural synergy, however, was Embiid’s desperation pass in the fourth quarter, after falling to the floor, to Maxey, who hit an off-balance three-pointer at the end of the shot clock that gave the Sixers the lead. 105-103, about three minutes left.

Still, Embiid and Maxey said they didn’t want to rely too much on just playing off each other.

” READ MORE: Thanks to decisive free throws from Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers pass the Utah Jazz

“It’s a balance,” Embiid said, adding that he wants to build “the same relationships” with other teammates. “We have to find a way to stabilize ourselves a little bit as far as the balance sheet is concerned. We just have to find the right balance of working on our game and chemistry while doing whatever it takes to win.”

This remains a stretch of the season where the Sixers can continue to pick up wins. They next travel to Portland where they will face the Trail Blazers on Monday, a team that fits the Utah style of young and up-and-coming team. Wednesday’s opponent, the 13-19 Sacramento Kings, surprisingly fired coach Mike Brown on Friday. The Sixers will then face a Golden State Warriors team that is 4-12 in their last 16 games.

And right now, the Sixers will get victories in any form – even strangely good ones.

“We’re not worried about April,” Maxey said. “We are worried about December. We have to worry about winning games at the moment. We are getting better every day. I think that’s the biggest thing we’re worried about.”