‘They Got Embiid’: Nets Note Driving Factor in Loss vs. 76ers

A shorthanded Brooklyn Nets team had its hands full on Sunday afternoon as they hosted a Philadelphia 76ers team that was getting back on the right track.

At the start of last week’s four-game slate, the Sixers dropped their first game in November, collecting a loss to the pacey Indiana Pacers. With little time to rest and recover, the Sixers were back out on the floor in less than 24 hours, hosting the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics.

For the first time this season, the Sixers dropped consecutive matchups. Despite holding one of the NBA’s best records through the first month of action, the Sixers were still focused on bouncing back and making a statement before closing out the week.

A Friday night game against the Atlanta Hawks resulted in a comfortable win for the Sixers. On Sunday, the Nets put up a good fight through the first half of action until the Sixers came out looking unstoppable offensively in the second half.

Following the game, Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn pointed to the Sixers’ physicality as a reason why the Sixers managed to pull away and take total control of the matchup.

“I think the physicality in which they play with, whether you saw it on the side out of the bounds, out of bounds underneath, where you saw it in pick and roll, their physicality,” Vaughn stated. “Last two games, give credit to Miami and also tonight to the Sixers for being extremely physical with us.”

Perhaps the Nets got comfortable and led themselves to believe that the second half wouldn’t feature a more aggressive 76ers team.

“I think we relaxed a little bit,” said Brooklyn standout Mikal Bridges. “With a team like this, you can’t.”

Through the first half, the Sixers received notable offensive performances from the MVP big man Joel Embiid and the veteran guard De’Anthony Melton. Embiid, as usual, dominated with 17 shots and six free throws. His first 19 minutes of action resulted in 22 points. As for Melton, he was red-hot, knocking down six of his seven shots from the field, totaling 15 points.

Coming out of the half, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey put the icing on the cake. Per usual, Embiid appeared in the entire third quarter. While he wasn’t super efficient from the field, the big man led his team with ten points as they outscored the Nets by 11 coming out of the half. With no answer for the big man, the Nets found themselves in trouble.

“I think how they play, they got Embiid so… Posting up all the time and stuff like that,” Bridges added. “That’s where it starts, I think. … this is the NBA and a four-point lead, if you’re down four or down two, you can flip to 12 quick. It’s just attention to detail for the whole game.”

Embiid finished with a game-high 32 points. He nearly notched a triple-double with 12 rebounds and nine assists. Interestingly enough, he didn’t spend a single minute on the floor during the fourth quarter. By that time, Maxey and the rest of the squad took care of business.

The Sixers put the Nets away with a 121-99 victory. With the two teams set to meet a few more times throughout the year, the Nets are more than aware that they have to bring it better physically in their next go-round with the Sixers, which is set to take place on February 3.