By : Kylan Watson

Riding a seven game winning streak and having a top-six playoff spot within their grasp. All the Philadelphia 76ers had to do is beat the Brooklyn Nets this afternoon and hope the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers both lost. The losses they needed did not happen, but the Sixers used a second quarter explosion to blow the Nets out of Philly 107-86.  Extending their win streak to eight games.

Unlike the past seven games, Philly did not have their offensive rhythm early in this game. Especially from the three-point line they started out only hitting one/nine three-pointers in the first quarter. Brooklyn took full advantage of the early power outage getting out to an early lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter the Sixers started cashing in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created off their ball movement. Once the shots started falling the Nets chances of winning significantly decreased. The duo of Tyrese Maxey (26 points) and Tobias Harris (21 points) combined for 47 of the Sixers 107 points. Harris had one of his best games of the season against Brooklyn today. He played aggressively and had his three-point shot working as well. If the Sixers can get this version of Harris they will have a long playoff run. An aggressive Tobias Harris usually means great things for the Sixers. When he scores 20 or more points in a contest Philly usually wins those games. He is one of the biggest x-factors for the Sixers heading into the postseason.

Despite the scoring explosion from Maxey and Harris. Brooklyn continued to fight throughout this game at one point cutting the Sixers lead to eight points in the third quarter. Cam Thomas did all he could to keep them in this game. He scored 18 points, but it was not enough to keep up with Philly in this contest. The Sixers made sure he saw a lot of opposition whenever he tried to make a move. That forced him to settle for very difficult shots and his teammates could not make Philly for giving him a majority of their defensive attention. The Nets inability to score gave the Sixers enough of a cushion to extend their lead and win this game.

Now the Sixers will prepare for a Wednesday night showdown with the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament. The seventh seed will be on the line. If the Sixers want to beat the Heat they will need to cash on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created off their ball movement. Like they did in this afternoon’s contest, not many teams can stay ahead of the Sixers when their shots are falling. Additionally, the Sixers will have to stay attached to their man and limit the Heat to one possession on offense. Miami will make them pay if they get multiple opportunities to put the ball in the hoop. If the Sixers can implement these things into their game plan for Wednesday night. They will keep the seventh seed and face either the New York Knicks in the First Round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.