Joel Embiid, 76ers Take Down Nets for Second Time This Season
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets squared up for the second time this season on Wednesday night.
Back in late November, the two teams faced off for the first time. Although the Sixers were down three starters as Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, and Joel Embiid were all nursing injuries, the Sixers stunned the trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons.
On Wednesday, the Sixers were the healthier team. Meanwhile, the Nets entered the matchup without the services of Kevin Durant, who’s been battling an MCL sprain.
Despite Durant's absence, the Wednesday night matchup certainly didn't lack juice as the return of Ben Simmons once again had South Philly buzzing and creating a hostile environment for the visitors.
Quarter Breakdown
1st Quarter
With Embiid cleared for action, the Sixers returned to their starting five that contained a backcourt of James Harden and De’Anthony Melton. Once again, Tyrese Maxey returned to his role coming off the bench. As expected, all eyes were on the highly-anticipated matchup of Embiid versus Ben Simmons.
Within the first couple of minutes, Simmons got switched onto Embiid. As the Sixers put the ball in Embiid’s hands to go to work in the matchup, the South Philly crowd roared in hopes Embiid would get some form of revenge against his former teammate on the court. The Sixers’ big man collected a pair of visits to the free-throw line within the first few minutes. Meanwhile, Simmons picked up multiple fouls.
While all eyes were on Embiid and Harden, the Sixers got a solid offensive boost from their guard De’Anthony Melton. The two-way standout found a rhythm early and knocked down all four of his shots, hitting on a few threes and scoring 11 points in seven minutes.
The first quarter definitely didn’t lack the energy of a rivalry game, as it featured chippy plays, multiple technical fouls, and high scoring. At the end of the first quarter, the game was knotted at 41.
2nd Quarter
Although both teams finished the first quarter out of rhythm as the game was getting physical, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey came out in the second quarter and gave the team an immediate offensive boost. Within the first few minutes, Maxey knocked down three-straight step-back threes.
Maxey’s third three forced the Nets into a timeout as the Sixers fired off a 20-11 lead at the start of the second quarter. Moments later, Embiid checked into the game and created a notable impact as well, as he hit a three, followed by a layup and a highlight dunk after he breezed by Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton.
While the Sixers struggled to maintain their burst throughout the entire quarter, their fast start in the second quarter helped the 76ers enter halftime with a double-digit lead as they were out in front of Brooklyn with a score of 75-65.
3rd Quarter
The Sixers entered the second half with the same intensity they put on display in the first two quarters. Scoring came from all over on Philly’s end. Joel Embiid led the team with nine points in ten minutes, while James Harden produced eight points in eight minutes.
Then off the bench, Tyrese Maxey found success from the charity stripe, knocking down all four of his attempts for four points. Meanwhile, Matisse Thybulle came alive and hit on a three before throwing down a highlight alley-top dunk with some assistance from Maxey.
Although the Nets played sloppy at the start of the quarter, turning the ball over four times, they found success on offense by draining 77 percent of their shots from the field off of 17 shots. Ben Simmons, who struggled on the offensive end through the first half of action, found success from the field by going 4-5 and scoring ten points. He capped off the quarter with a buzzer-beater basket in transition.
While the Nets had an efficient shooting performance, they only outscored the Sixers by one point.
4th Quarter
It didn’t take long for the Sixers to start bringing their starters back into the game. One minute into the fourth quarter, James Harden and Tobias Harris took the floor, with Maxey staying on the floor. As the Sixers remained in the driver’s seat of the game after getting outscored in the third quarter, they needed to ensure they kept their foot on the gas and maintained their notable lead.
At first, the Sixers were finding success. But after a Maxey three-point shot forced Brooklyn into a timeout, the Nets snapped out of an early funk and started forming a run. Within the next two minutes, the Nets fired up an 8-0 run, cutting into the Sixers’ lead to get the game within single digits.
It wouldn’t be long before the Nets managed to tie the game up. With several buckets from Seth Curry, including a pull-up three-pointer, the Nets knotted the game at 120 and forced the Sixers into a timeout. Coming out of the quick break, the Sixers gained a boost from their All-Star guard James Harden, who knocked down back-to-back step-back threes,
While the Nets got the game within single digits, they couldn’t successfully complete the comeback after a stellar effort. On Wednesday, the Sixers defeated the Nets for the second time this season. All-Stars Joel Embiid and James Harden combined for nearly 50 points, while Maxey had another standout outing off the bench, scoring 27 points and helping lead the Sixers to a 137-133 win.
