CAMDEN, N.J. — The freefalling 76ers are looking for rock bottom, and they hope to have found it on the defensive end in Denver on Tuesday. Despite a season-high 34 assists and 67 first-half points, the defense went AWOL in the Mile High City, allowing 77 points in the first half of a 144-109 loss, the team’s seventh straight setback and 10th in 12 games. Coach Nick Nurse, who lambasted his team’s lack of effort in wrapping up a three-game trip, believes it’s the outlier on recent trends. With seven of eight games at home beginning with Friday’s visit from East-leading Cleveland in a make-or-break stretch, his effort has been to make sure it’s a blip. “The defense when our offense wasn’t good, we paid the price every time,” Nurse said Thursday after practice at the team’s training facility. “I felt like I was playing in the EuroLeague again. That’s what happens over there. You make a mistake on a three-ball, and you’re at the other end. You pay for everything, and we did the other night.” Nurse listed the factors of such a capitulation: Not enough made shots, not enough defensive structure, not enough effort and not enough communication. The main culprit, of course, is the constant absences in the lineup. But getting guys back is disruptive, too. The 76ers were competitive in Indiana and Milwaukee without Paul George and Guerschon Yabusele. Their returns in Denver should’ve been a boost, but adding two new bodies and displacing two contributors meant Tyrese Maxey may have been the only guy to play the same role in all three games. “I think there’s a lot of chemistry we need to work on, because the roster changes a lot,” rookie forward Adem Bona said. “I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault, but it’s just based on injuries, guys being out, guys having to pick up plays on the fly.” If the 76ers can get some continuity in personnel – the almighty if this season – then the Denver debacle could be a one-game aberration. The Sixers are causing the second-most turnovers in the league, behind only Oklahoma City, though they’re second-worst in opponent field goal percentage (48.8). “I’s frustrating, but I also wouldn’t say that’s who we are now,” Nurse said. “It would be much easier to look at the last 20 games and say our defense has been pretty solid, rather than just say, oh my god, we don’t play any defense now, after one game. So whatever the combination of factors that got us out of whack defensively the other night, we’ve got to flush those and get back to how we’ve been playing. And I believe that we will.” • • • Joel Embiid (knee/foot) didn’t practice Thursday, six days since the team ruled him out indefinitely with swelling in his left knee. Nurse said there is no date set for the center’s reevaluation, which as of last Friday’s announcement was to come within seven to 10 days. Andre Drummond (toe) didn’t practice. He played 26:30 in Indiana, ending a stretch of six straight absences, sat in Milwaukee and played 20:29 in Denver. KJ Martin (foot stress reaction) also has not returned to practice. Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry (both right hip sprains) practiced on a partial basis. All five players are listed as out for Friday, the front half of a back-to-back that ventures to Chicago Saturday. • • • The 76ers are going nowhere fast, which means their players might he headed somewhere else by the Feb. 6 trade deadline. One of the more appealing pieces is Yabusele, given his minimal contract. Brilliant as he’s been – 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and the ability to show up for work in 40 of 42 games – he was a flyer the 76ers took in August after Yabusele impressed with the French national team. The former Celtic, who spent six seasons abroad before returning to the NBA, could help many a team with his 40.9 percent 3-point shooting. But until anything happens, he’s blocking out the noise. “I think the best thing is just not to worry about it,” he said. “Just keep playing. At the end of the day, I think if somebody’s going to be in the discussion, his agent or the team is going to let him know. So if nobody said nothing to you, you just come to work and work and then go home. That’s it. You can’t really worry about what’s going on, what people say on social media or TV or whatever. Just focus on what you’re doing right now.” The 76ers don’t have a ton of trade candidates, not just because of the voluminous injured list. With multi-year commitments made to Embiid, George and Maxey, and promise shown from low-cost youngsters, there’s little tear-down possibility beyond veterans like Yabusele, Kelly Oubre and Eric Gordon. None of that fixed the primary problem, which is night-to-night player availability. Yabusele, who has quickly become a leader, would advise those in the swirl of rumors to put it out of mind. “I just try to play as my best on the court, try to help the team,” he said. “Obviously, we’re in a tough situation. I’m more worried about trying to figure out some stuff on the court with my guys and try to get some wins, and not worry about the trades or the trades or the other stuff. I just worry about my basketball and whatever happens, happens. We’ll live with it.”