By: Kylan Watson
The Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Brooklyn to face a surging Nets squad that was looking to get their first win of the season over the Sixers. It took a second quarter explosion to put the Brooklyn Nets away in this contest 121-99 to get their 10th win of the season.
The Sixers started this game off hot when they were hitting their shots early in the contest and were able to jump on Brooklyn before they could settle into this game. The trio of Joel Embiid (32-points, grabbed 12-rebounds, and had nine-assists), Tyrese Maxey (25-points, had 10-assists, and hit six/11 three-pointers) and De’Anthony Melton (21-points, and hit four/six three-pointers) led them they combined for 78 of Philly’s 121-points. Embiid was an assist short of his first career triple-double and his playmaking continues to show up as one of the biggest improvements he has made in the offseason. He continues to create high-percentage offensive opportunities for his teammates, and they have been paying it off. If this continues throughout the rest of the season along with his scoring output and keeping his turnovers down. Not only will he win another Most Valuable Player Award, but the Sixers will also be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and a finals contender. A beneficiary of Embiid’s playmaking ability has been De’Anthony Melton he finally got out of his shooting slump and had his first 20-plus point night of the season and if his three-point shooting finally starts making an appearance the Sixers will have the best starting five in the league. Melton is a defensive menace and if the Sixers can get a positive output offensively it creates more room for Embiid, Maxey, and Harris to operate and adds another dimension to the Sixers offense.
Despite the scoring explosion from Embiid, Maxey, and Melton the Nets continued to fight in this game. They were able to battle back in this game and retake the lead. The duo of Lonnie Walker IV (26-points) and Mikal Bridges (18-points) led them. They combined for 44 of the Nets 99-points and they were able to take full advantage of the Sixers giving them room to operate. It did not matter if the shot was contested or wide-open their shots found the bottom of the net. They kept their team in it throughout this contest. However, when Philly turned up the defensive pressure that forced them into turnovers and led to easy baskets for the Sixers. Additionally, Philly did a good job of shutting down every other offensive threat the Nets had and that helped them win this game over a game Nets squad. Who will make noise in the loaded Eastern Conference once they get all of their players healthy.
The Sixers will now prepare for a Tuesday Night matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will need to stay attached to their man if they want to keep Donovan Mitchell in check in this contest and make sure their shooters take well contested shots. Additionally, Philly will need to keep their ball movement going on the offensive side. The ball moves faster than opposing defenders and that leads to high percentage shots for everybody on the court. That has helped the Sixers have one of the most explosive offenses in the association. If the Sixers can implement these things, they should be able to get their 11th win of the season.
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