PHILADELPHIA – Two teams with championship aspirations clashed head-on when the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. The event, a possible preview of the Eastern Conference final, was the second of the season between the teams, as the Nets had already beaten Philadelphia once in January. In the evening, the Sixers sat at the top of the East with a 16-7 record, while the Nets were in third place with a record of 14-10. Both teams were looking for a comeback victory as they each lost by a loss. Philadelphia fell at home to the fast-shooting Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, while the Nets dropped their game against the Toronto Raptors in Brooklyn on Friday.
The Nets were shortened in Philadelphia because it was without both Kyrie Irving (right index finger sprain) and Kevin Durant (health and safety protocols). Without their two stars, the Nets ultimately could not keep up with the Sixers and Philadelphia scored a 124-108 victory. Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 33 points and nine rebounds, while Tobias Harris added 21 points and 12 rebounds. James Harden hit the Nets with 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. It’s hard to take too much out of this game because the Nets were without two of their top contributors, but here’s three takeaways from Philadelphia’s win over Brooklyn.
Nets had no answer for Embiid and the Sixers
One of the things the Nets had to sacrifice to land James Harden earlier this season was the inner depth, as center Jarrett Allen was sent off as part of the deal Harden landed in Brooklyn. Allen’s departure left a void in Brooklyn’s forecourt as it left De’Andre Jordan as the only serviceable center. Against some teams, the Nets can get away with being so small, but not against a team with a dominant big man like Embiid. Brooklyn has since added Norvel Pelle to bolster its bench, but the move alone is clearly not enough, as Embiid struggled with Brooklyn’s big players on Saturday night. Philadelphia’s MVP candidate scored 17 points and five rebounds in the first half of the action, and he finished the game with 33 and nine.
Philadelphia’s advantage over most teams is that Embiid creates a mismatch that works in their favor, and that was certainly the case against the Nets. It was not just Embiid either. The Sixers as a whole took advantage of Brooklyn’s lack of size inside, and they finished with 62 points in the paint – compared to just 32 for Brooklyn. The Sixers also put Brooklyn 51-34 on the boards. Their ability to dominate the interior was a big reason the Sixers were able to walk away with a victory on Saturday.
76ers remain unbeaten with their full starting lineup
Like all teams in the league’s landscapes this season, the Sixers have dealt their fair share of health and injury issues, and some players have missed games as a result. But when they have their first first five, consisting of Embiid, Simmons, Curry, Green and Harris, Philadelphia is unbeaten on the season. They predicted 12-0 on Saturday night with their full start, and with the win over Brooklyn they moved on to 13-0. Of course, that does not mean that the Sixers are unbeatable, or that they will not end up losing a game with their group, but it is definitely a good sign for a team that wants to build good chemistry and rhythm. for what they hope will be a deep play-off.
Ben Simmons’ defense against James Harden was a big changer
The Nets kept the game close during the first half and into the third quarter. They were able to keep it very close thanks to James Harden, who was apparently well on his way to a great show. The Sixers used Danny Green primarily to protect Harden during the first half and into the second half. By the third quarter, however, Doc Rivers made a switch and placed Ben Simmons on Harden. Philadelphia immediately went on to run 14-0 and opened the game wide. They never looked back after that. It was plays like these by Simmons that helped drive the Sixers to a victory:
Harden had 24 points in the game when the switch was made to put Simmons on him. He finished the game with 26 points. After the match, Rivers said he thought the move to place Simmons on Harden was an important turning point in the game. Rivers also explained that he was waiting to place Simmons on Harden until the second half because he wanted to save his energy and personal offenses. Simmons built up a nice case to be the league’s defensive player of the year this season, and Saturday night was another feather in his cap.