Without Joel Embiid, the Nets take control of the match thanks to the pair Spencer Dinwiddie – Nic Claxton (19-8). Tobias Harris and James Harden limited the damage but a buzzer beater from Spencer Dinwiddie blew up the Barclays Center (29-22).
The second quarter then turns into trench warfare. The two defenses raise their tone even further and neither team exceeds 31% success (48-40).
Upon returning from the locker room, the Nets fall back into their ways. Their attack stagnates and Philadelphia benefits. Clumsy in the first half, Tyrese Maxey leads a 23-9 which gives the advantage to the Sixers (66-63).
In the wake of Mikal Bridges and Royce O’Neale, the Nets are trying to salvage their season. A 7-0 puts them back in the lead but the address of De’Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris allows the Sixers to respond with a 16-4 (86-76)! The Nets will not recover, and Philly joins the semifinals of conference.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Sixers down without Joel Embiid. Before the meeting, Doc Rivers ironically hoped that the Nets would continue to double up on their pivots, even in the absence of the future MVP. Facing a different but still aggressive defensive strategy, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey suffered in the first half to set up the Sixers’ game and make a one-on-one difference. They finished the half with 34% on shots and 2/11 from 3-pointers, for only 40 points scored!
– Nine catastrophic minutes for the Nets. Like the last minutes of Game 3, Brooklyn started the third quarter hard. They scored just 9 points in the first nine minutes of the period, missing 10 of 14 shots with a 1/8 from 3-point range, and losing four balls. During these low times, the ball stops living and the Nets offense turns into an isolation contest. It’s hard to make the Sixers defense pay off this way.
– De’Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris pass the broom. While the Nets had regained the lead, the Sixers managed to turn the tide with a decisive final quarter from DeAnthony Melton. Mute for three quarters, the former Grizzlies fullback scored 15 points in the last, including a 3/4 from distance that killed the Nets’ last hopes. Tobias Harris, best Sixer of the match, came to support him to finish the job.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Tobias Harris. While Tyrese Maxey and James Harden lacked consistency, Tobias Harris was his team’s metronome, finishing with 25 points on 11/19 on shots and 11 rebounds.
✅ De’Anthony Melton. The fullback scored all of his 15 points in the final period, half the Sixers’ points, to end the Nets’ season.
✅ Nic Claxton. Without Joel Embiid, the pivot of the Nets showed up with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks.
✅ ⛔James Harden-Tyrese Maxey. Both players had an up and down game but produced enough to lead their team to victory. James Harden came close to a triple-double (17 points on 18 shots, 11 assists, 8 rebounds) and Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of his 16 points (4/20 on shots) in the 3rd quarter to make the difference.
✅ ⛔Mikal Bridges. The former Sun was equal to himself in defense but lacked skill (6/18 on shots).
⛔ The Nets bench. The Seth Curry – Royce O’Neale – Joe Harris – Patty Mills quartet finished the game with 13 points in total at 5/19 on shots. Insufficient.
THE FOLLOWING
The Sixers will play winner Boston-Atlanta in the conference semifinals.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
