76ers vs. Nets: 3 Things That Stood Out on Wednesday

What stood out on Wednesday in the matchup between the 76ers and the Nets?

The NBA’s newly-installed rivals week is underway, and the Philadelphia 76ers tipped off one of their two big matchups against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

To no surprise, the battle between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, along with the war between James Harden and the Nets, is a hot commodity for hoops fans. Therefore, Wednesday’s game served as a playoff-like atmosphere in South Philly.

Considering the game was set in South Philly, the Sixers had the home-court advantage. Through the first quarter of action, the game was chippy with tons of physical plays and verbal exchanges. Through one quarter, the Nets and the Sixers were tied at 41.

From then on, the Sixers pulled away. With a ten-point advantage at halftime, the Sixers looked like a team with more juice as the Kevin Durant-less Nets struggled against Philly’s attack. 

The Sixers led by as many as 17 points in the second half but failed to put the game away early. With a fourth-quarter rally, the Nets not ate into that lead but tied it up late in the game. However, they didn’t capitalize enough to formulate a whole comeback. 

Although it was a thrilling ending, the Sixers maintained control of the game until the end and put the Nets away with a 137-133 win. 

Here’s what stood out on Wednesday night:

The Sixers Got the Better All-Star

Last year, many believed the James Harden-Ben Simmons swap was a no-win situation for either team. Simmons wasn’t playing for the Nets, while Harden burned out in the playoffs as the Sixers dealt with yet another second-round loss.

Getting a better sample size this season, I’m not sure anybody can say Brooklyn got the better end of the deal. While Seth Curry was a chip in the package and did torch the Sixers on Wednesday night, he hasn’t been doing that consistently enough to make the Sixers totally regret adding him in the deal as a sweetener for Harden.

As for Simmons, he’s simply not the same guy he once was early on in his career. In the first half of Wednesday’s game, Simmons had zero points. He attempted just one shot in over 16 minutes. While he had a nice burst in the third quarter, going 4-5 from the field and scoring ten points in nine minutes, the Nets deemed him unplayable in the fourth, taking him out before the game reached crunch time, where they made their run.

By no means did Harden have a spectacular performance on Wednesday, but he produced when the Sixers needed him to. In the fourth quarter, as the Nets were making their run, Harden hit a pair of clutch threes to prevent Brooklyn from snagging a lead. Ben Simmons would never… Literally. 

Harden finished the night with 23 points and seven assists in 35 minutes. 

Nic Claxton Held His Own

Brooklyn Nets veteran Nic Claxton had a big challenge in front of him on Wednesday night going against Joel Embiid, and he delivered for his team.

In 38 minutes on the floor, Claxton attempted 12 shots from the field. He made all but one of his attempts. Claxton finished the game with 25 points. He also snagged a double-double by grabbing 12 boards.

Claxton didn’t guard Joel Embiid exclusively, but the Nets managed to prevent the big man from going off. A 26-point outing might look good for most centers, but to Embiid, that’s an off-night. The big man drained just 33 percent of his shots. 

Half of Embiid’s points came from the free throw line, as he knocked down 13 free throws. Overall, Embiid finished with 26 points in 34 minutes. It was the first game he failed to exceed 30 points since the Sixers’ New Year’s Eve matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Tyrese Maxey’s New Role is Working

Tyrese Maxey is a starting-caliber player in the NBA. On many rosters, he might be the focal point of the offense. On the Sixers, he’s a third or fourth option in their starting five. The young guard’s willingness to come off the bench is rare but certainly beneficial.

Now that Maxey is headlining his own unit, he’s able to score at will without having to worry about deferring to Joel Embiid, James Harden, or even Tobias Harris. And once Maxey has it going early in the game, the Sixers can leave him out on the floor in critical situations and ride him if he’s the hot hand. 

Wednesday’s game was a good example of that. In his first five minutes off the bench, Maxey scored seven points. He followed up with a nine-point showing in the second quarter. While Maxey was quiet in the third quarter, the young guard played for all but 13 seconds in the fourth quarter. In crunch time, Maxey knocked down two threes and one free throw, scoring seven of the Sixers’ 30 fourth-quarter points. He wrapped up the win with a team-high of 27 points in 30 minutes.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.