Inside The Nets

Claxton's Putback Lifts Nets Past 76ers in Philadelphia

Brooklyn got back in the win column.

Kyler Fox

Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) scores the game winning shot past Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) as time expires at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) scores the game winning shot past Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) as time expires at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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On Saturday night in Philadelphia, Nic Claxton appeared worth every penny of the four-year, $97 million deal he signed this past summer. While adding 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, Claxton's put-back as time expired handed the Brooklyn Nets a 105-103 victory. The triumph was the team's first since the All-Star break and Brooklyn's seventh win in nine tries.

Cam Johnson led the Nets with 23 points, four rebounds and four assists as Jordi Fernandez's sqaud overcame the 76ers comeback hopes.

Brooklyn owned as large as a 17-point lead over Philadelphia, but a 30-point masterclass from rising star Tyrese Maxey helped Philadelphia crawl back. After leading for essentially the entire evening, 76ers newly-acquired guard Quentin Grimes nailed a three-pointer with just four minutes to play to hand the hosts a one-point advantage.

The Eastern Conference rivals traded buckets down the stretch before Maxey hit a go-ahead triple with 23 seconds remaining in regulation to knot the score at 103. From there, Keon Johnson missed a game-winning attempt from long range of his own, seemingly sending the contest to overtime.

That was until Claxton proved his worth. The 25-year-old coralled the offensive rebound and tipped the ball back onto the rim from the left corner of the baseline. It rattled around the hoop before falling as time expired, ending any chances of the Nets blowing their once-massive advantage.

Sans D'Angelo Russell, Killian Hayes received his first start since signing a 10-day contract. Much like in Brooklyn's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hayes made an immediate impact — this time leaving a significant mark on the stat sheet. While his scoring prowess has yet to emerge, he dished out six assists, grabbed four rebounds, and finished plus-three on the evening.

Alongside Hayes as an unexpected X-factor was Trendon Watford, who has quietly been a fantastic depth piece since his return from injury. Since Feb. 7, he's posted double-digits in the scoring column in every matchup, including a 16-point, six-assist effort this evening. Watford has embodied the "gritty" menatlity Fernandez and company strives on and is quickly evolving into a go-to option for the playoff-hopeful Nets.

However, the biggest standout from Brooklyn's win had to have been their defense on Joel Embiid and Paul George. Philadelphia's duo only accounted for 29 combined points, as the Nets continued George's streak of consecutive games under the 20-point mark while virtually shutting down Embiid on the offensive end. The Nets' defense has been fantastic over their highly-successful 10-game stretch, and tonight was no different.

Noq 21-35, Brooklyn sits just a half game back of the Chicago Bulls for the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference. With a matchup against the Washington Wizards in D.C. looming, the gritty Nets look to continue their mid-season push towards the play-in.

That bout is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. in our nation's capital.

To access the final box score from the Nets' win over the 76ers, click here.

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Kyler Fox
KYLER FOX

Kyler is a staff writer for Brooklyn Nets on SI, where he covers all things related to the team. He is also the managing editor of The Torch, St. John's University's independent student-run newspaper.

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