On Monday night, the third-seeded Sixers will host the sixth-seeded Nets in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series.
Injury Update for Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers responded perfectly to the Brooklyn Nets’ constant double-teams on MVP candidate Joel Embiid.
On Saturday, when the big man slipped out of coverage, the Sixers hit three-pointers.
In Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference series, they set a franchise playoff record with 21 three-pointers.
James Harden scored 23 points, dished 13 assists, and made 7 of 13 3-point attempts.
Harden led the league in assists during the regular season and continued that excellent playmaking performance in the playoffs, racking up a strong double-double despite needing 21 shots to score 23 points.
With Joel Embiid serving as Philadelphia’s primary scoring weapon for the foreseeable future, expect Harden to thrive as an elite playmaker while also being a consistent scorer who should average around 20 points most of the time.
The Sixers shot 21-for-43 from beyond the arc overall.
Despite shooting 11-for-11 from the free throw line, Embiid scored a team-high 26 points.
If the outcome is a 20-point victory, Embiid is content to keep passing out of the double team.
Embiid didn’t exactly dominate like he had in previous games during the regular season. Nonetheless, he was very efficient in this one and posted a solid stat line as Philadelphia easily won the series opener.
Embiid led the league in scoring during the regular season and should be the Sixers’ go-to offensive player every time they take the court.
The Sixers had five players score in double figures.
The Nets will adjust, and the Sixers cannot expect to hit 3-pointers every game.
The Nets will attempt to tie the series before returning to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Thursday.
They hung around for much of the first half, but 20 turnovers ultimately cost them.
Mikal Bridges led the Nets with a 30-point performance in the opener. Cameron Johnson had 18 points, Spencer Dinwiddie had 14, and Seth Curry had 10.
The Nets have the ability to score. To have a good chance of equalizing, they must make sound decisions.
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On Saturday, the Nets allowed the Sixers 21 second-chance points. If the Nets want to improve their record, that number must be reduced.
According to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn stated that Ben Simmons (back, knee) is out for the season but is not expected to require any surgeries this summer.
Since April 15, 2019, the Nets have now lost five consecutive playoff games to the Sixers.
