76ers vs. Nets: NBA Playoffs Game 1 Live Blog

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will battle it out for Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday.

Justin Grasso | Apr 15, 2023

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This season, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will go head-to-head beyond their typical four meetings during the regular season.

With the Sixers finishing with the third seed in the Eastern Conference and the Nets wrapping up as a sixth seed, Brooklyn and Philadelphia will battle it out in a seven-game series during the first round.

The last time the Sixers and the Nets battled it out in the postseason was during the 2019 playoffs. At the time, the Sixers took care of business in five games, defeating the Nets before advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face the Toronto Raptors.

Prior to the 2023 playoff run, the Sixers and the Nets faced each other four times in the regular season, as usual.

The Sixers completed a regular-season sweep for the first time since the 2010-2011 season. Considering the Sixers faced the new-look Nets just twice since the trade deadline, Saturday’s game could have a much different look compared to the earlier outings between the Sixers and the Nets this season.

Live Updates

Game Odds

Spread: Sixers -8.5

Moneyline: PHI -400, BKN +310

Total O/U: 208.5

*All Odds are Provided by SI Sportsbook

Pregame Reading

76ers vs. Nets Schedule: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will battle it out in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. On Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced the full series schedule, which begins on Saturday. READ MORE

James Harden’s Health: Before the regular season concluded, Sixers star guard James Harden was battling Achilles soreness, which forced him to miss a handful of games down the stretch of the year. Since preparation for the playoffs began, Doc Rivers addressed how Harden has looked. READ MORE

Complimenting the Enemy: The MVP race is a hot topic. As Joel Embiid could potentially win the award, Nets forward Mikal Bridges dished his thoughts on the state of the MVP race, claiming that Embiid should be the one to win it this season. READ MORE

Published Apr 15, 2023

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA