James Harden, Sixers Come Out on Top in Brooklyn vs. Nets

After a Friday night victory against the New York Knicks at home in South Philly, the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t get much of a break. On Saturday, the Sixers were on the road, set to face the Brooklyn Nets for the third time this season.

In the first two outings between the Sixers and the Nets, the two teams battled it out in South Philly both times. The first outing featured a shorthanded Sixers team that took on a star-studded Nets team. Despite being underdogs, the Sixers pulled off an upset victory and put the Nets away.

In the next meeting, the healthier Sixers took on a Kevin Durant-less team. Similar to the first game, the Sixers put Brooklyn away, moving to 2-0 in the regular season series against Brooklyn.

Saturday’s game post-deadline featured a much different-looking Brooklyn team. Following the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets trotted out a starting lineup containing some of their newest pieces, including Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Quarter Breakdown

1st Quarter

James Harden claimed he didn’t know what to expect in his first game back in Brooklyn since he forced his way out last year. As anybody else probably expected, the boobirds were out the moment Harden touched the ball and dribbled up for the Sixers’ first offensive possession.

Philadelphia’s offensive formula early was getting Joel Embiid to the free-throw line. The energetic Nets found success against the Sixers’ defense on the other end of the floor. Eager to get their new guys going, Brooklyn’s trade deadline acquisitions were active and productive out of the gate.

Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges accounted for 11 combined points in the opening minutes. Meanwhile, the Sixers started out ice cold from the floor, as they were shooting just 22 percent from the field in the first five minutes. While the Nets started off with a nice run, Joel Embiid gained a late offensive rhythm, producing 14 of the Sixers’ first 26 points. After being down as many as ten points, the Sixers trailed by two points going into the second quarter.

2nd Quarter

With Embiid off the floor at the start of the second quarter, Tyrese Maxey looked to keep the offensive momentum going for the Sixers. He started by throwing an Alley-Oop to the Sixers’ newest addition Jalen McDaniels, who was making his debut with the team on Saturday. On the next possession, Maxey converted on a driving layup.

Brooklyn might’ve cooled down as the first quarter winded down, but they were nearly perfect from the field to start the second quarter by knocking down six of their first seven shots, four of which came from beyond the arc.

With Brooklyn maintaining their success from deep in the second quarter, the Sixers needed to start answering back with more threes of their own. Harden drained Philly’s first three of the quarter with a little eight minutes left to get the game within one possession. Eventually, Embiid hit a ridiculously tough fadeaway as the shot clock expired to tie the game at 44 with five minutes left to go.

Still, Brooklyn had an answer from deep almost every time. The Nets wrapped up the second quarter by knocking down 50 percent of their 12 attempts from deep.

Meanwhile, the Sixers struggled to get production from their starters in the second quarter, with James Harden scoring ten of the 16 points that were produced from that group. The Sixers tied the game up at one point in the second quarter, but Brooklyn continued to control the matchup.

Going into halftime, the Nets held a 60-52 lead over Philly.

3rd Quarter

The Sixers continued looking like a team coming off a back-to-back at the start of the third quarter, as their first offensive possession featured a missed shot and a turnover just seconds after coming down with the offensive rebound.

As a consolation, the Nets were struggling themselves. Neither team found much success from the field in the opening minutes of the second half. Four of Philadelphia's first six points in the third quarter came from the free-throw line.

While the Nets weren’t necessarily capitalizing on Philadelphia’s early pair of turnovers and a series of missed shots, they gained a ten-point lead once again with a little over seven minutes left in the third.

Brooklyn garnered their biggest lead of the night by going up 71-60 with a Bridges three after a Sixers timeout. The Sixers shot significantly better in the third quarter by knocking down 44 percent of their shots.

While they didn’t have any makes from deep, the Nets didn’t maintain their success from deep, making just one of their eight attempted shots. Brooklyn might’ve secured their biggest lead of the game at a point, but they were outscored in the third quarter as the Sixers looked to close in on the deficit before the fourth quarter.

4th Quarter

Going into the fourth quarter, the Sixers trailed 82-76. They got the game within one possession as McDaniels hit a three in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Over the next three possessions, the Nets would hit a floating jump shot and back-to-back threes by Joe Harris to quickly extend to a 90-81 lead.

Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Sixers went to four of their five starters, with Maxey in over De’Anthony Melton. Harden snagged an immediate bucket to get the game within seven points. A quick run for the Sixers once again allowed Philadelphia to get the game within three possessions.

After several misses from the floor, the Sixers took advantage of multiple empty possessions from the Nets and got the game within one point with an Embiid fadeaway shot with a little under four minutes left to play. The next two minutes would feature a series of missed shots from both teams.

Eventually, Spencer Dinwiddie broke the drought with a driving dunk to give the Nets a three-point lead once again with a little under two minutes left to play. Embiid answered on the next possession with a turnaround jumper.

Brooklyn had a final chance on offense to get some points to extend their lead. As they let the clock run down to 12 seconds, Dinwiddie lost control while driving to the basket, causing a Nets turnover and giving the Sixers a shot to draw something up during a timeout.

Harden went for a driving layup to take the lead, which was unsuccessful. Embiid, who was in the area, snagged the offensive rebound and was fouled, putting up a shot. The big man went to the free-throw line and converted on both of his foul shots, helping the Sixers garner a one-point lead with five seconds left.

On Brooklyn's final possession, Mikal Bridges got the ball and drove to the basket for a quick layup. However, he couldn't finish. While Dinwiddie hit a logo three after a pair of Harden free throws after an intentional foul, a replay review showed it was let off just late. The Sixers made it out of Brooklyn with a 101-98 win.