Sixers' Joel Embiid Wasn't Shocked By Kevin Durant's Late-Game Dominance

Brooklyn Nets fans in attendance at the Barclays Center on Thursday night made it apparent that they believe their team's top star is currently the best player

Brooklyn Nets fans in attendance at the Barclays Center on Thursday night made it apparent that they believe their team's top star is currently the best player in basketball. Every time Kevin Durant went to the free-throw line against the Philadelphia 76ers, the MVP chants rang through the arena.

The Nets were missing a bunch of critical pieces on Thursday. As seven players were in the NBA's health and safety protocol, Brooklyn leaned heavily on Durant and the rest of his supporting cast to take down the Sixers.

Meanwhile, the 76ers were zeroed in on slowing Durant down. In the first half, they did a decent job. While Durant knocked down 60-percent of his shots through the first two-quarters of action, holding him to just 15 points in nearly 19 minutes is actually a decent achievement for Philadelphia's defense. 

But when crunch time came about in the second half, the Sixers quickly found out why Kevin Durant is one of the best players to pick up a basketball. Durant had 21 points going into the final quarter of action. The Sixers trailed 85-79 and were on their last hope while attempting a comeback win in Brooklyn.

However, Durant's offense was too much. In a little over eight minutes on the floor in crunch time, Durant chucked up seven shots. He nailed four of his attempts and went three for three from the free-throw line, wrapping up the final quarter with 13 points. When it was all said and done, Durant led the Nets to a 114-105 victory by scoring a game-high of 34 points in 39 minutes.

"That's KD," said a not-so-surprised Joel Embiid. "[He's] great from midrange. Obviously, a great shooter from all over the floor. Extremely skilled basketball player. That's KD. He made some tough ones, but I thought overall, all night, going into that fourth quarter, we did [play well against him]. In the first quarter, we did a great job on him. Matisse (Thybulle) came in, and I thought he did a great job on him. We just didn't finish."

Durant's performance helped the shorthanded Nets issue the Sixers their third-straight loss on Thursday night. With that win, the Nets acquire their fourth-straight win as they advance to 21-8 on the year and continue to lead the Eastern Conference.

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