Brooklyn Nets Need More From Spencer Dinwiddie vs. 76ers

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has found success against the Philadelphia 76ers numerous times in the past. As a two-time member of the Nets and a former Washington Wizards guard, Dinwiddie has played against Philadelphia 27 times in the past leading up to the 2023 NBA Playoffs first-round series between the two teams.

Over the years, Dinwiddie has averaged 17 points, four rebounds, and six assists against the Sixers. Considering Dinwiddie has found success against the Sixers in the past, Brooklyn felt confident in his ability to help them make the first-round series as competitive as possible.

But so far, Dinwiddie’s been quiet on the offensive end. In Game 1, Dinwiddie checked in for 36 minutes. He drained 42 percent of his field goals, scoring 14 points. While he also racked up seven assists, Dinwiddie was a minus-13 on the floor in the 20-point loss.

The Nets looked to bounce back and had a double-digit lead in their possession during the first half of Monday’s Game 2 matchup. For Dinwiddie, he had another quiet outing as he hit on just 36 percent of his shots for 12 points.

“I think overall, his ability to go downhill, we want more from him,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said in regards to Dinwiddie after Monday’s game. “He understands that.”

Moving forward, what do the Nets need Dinwiddie to do in order to help them find success?

“He's got to continue to push the pace for us,” Vaughn continued. “He's huge for us, and he knows it. We love him. We depend on him. He's going to have the basketball back in his hands when we get back home, and he'll continue to play and lead us.”

In Game 2, the Nets prevented getting out-shot significantly as they traded 80 shots with the Sixers. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, the Sixers hit their shots at a 45 percent clip compared to the Nets’ 38 percent from the field.

Although the Nets had control of Monday’s game through the first half of action, they lost it in the second half. Then it wasn’t long before the Sixers got out in front and secured themselves another victory.

With a 96-84 win, the Sixers advanced to 2-0 in the series. After taking care of business at home in South Philly, the Sixers hit the road to Brooklyn for the next two outings.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.