Sixers Dominate Shorthanded Nets at Home on Saturday Night

Coming off of one of their most disappointing losses of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Philadelphia 76ers remained home for the weekend as they were set to take on the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.

Saturday's matchup was expected to be one of the Sixers' biggest challenges to date. Unfortunately, Brooklyn dealt with some key absences as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were ruled out for the matchup earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, Philly had its entire starting lineup healthy despite Joel Embiid, Seth Curry, and Ben Simmons showing up on the injury report leading up to the matchup. With their regulars in place, the 76ers looked to continue their hot streak when all starters are available. 

As always, Sixers center Joel Embiid dominated in the first quarter, helping the Sixers get off to a solid start. In nearly 12 minutes of action, Embiid knocked down five of 10 shots from the field. He also collected four points from the free-throw line to add to his 15-point first quarter.

Embiid wasn't alone offensively. Ben Simmons, who missed the last matchup, came out looking aggressive. As he played in the entire first quarter, Simmons collected eight points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal. After a strong first quarter against a shorthanded Nets team, the 76ers got off to a 34-29 lead through the first quarter of action. 

At the beginning of the second quarter, the 76ers relied on their bench unit to keep them in the lead. Shake Milton carried the load as he stayed on the floor for the entire quarter putting up eight points. Eventually, the starters got back out on the floor before the Nets began to take advantage of mismatches fully. 

While the Sixers went blow for blow with the Nets on offense in the second quarter, Brooklyn managed to shoot better from beyond-the-arc as they knocked down 33-percent of their long-range shots. The Sixers averaged just 16-percent in the second quarter from deep. Before the half, the Nets outscored the Sixers 27-25 going into the intermission with a 59-56 lead over Philly.

In the second half, the Sixers came out firing on all cylinders. Not only did they take the lead over the Nets quickly, but the 76ers took a commanding lead as they scored at will. To no surprise, Embiid led his team in third-quarter scoring with 14 points. Danny Green and Seth Curry each dropped eight points, while Tobias Harris and Simmons contributed to 11 points combined.

After knocking down 62-percent of their shots from the field and averaging 50-percent from beyond-the-arc, the Sixers managed to drop 40 points in the third quarter alone, giving them a significant 102-86 lead over the Nets heading into the final quarter.

Although the Sixers' attempt to keep their foot on the gas wasn't pretty, they managed to keep the Nets from climbing back in the final period. Joel Embiid led the Sixers in scoring with another 30-plus point game. Tobias Harris collected himself a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. And Ben Simmons had himself a night as he nearly had a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. 

With another dominant performance by Philly's fully healthy starting lineup, the 76ers picked up a 124-108 win over the shorthanded Nets. That victory gives the Sixers their 17th win of the season before they hit the road for a West Coast trip.