The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t allow any surprises in the opening game of their first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets. The 76ers easily dispatched the Nets to cruise to a 121-101 win and confirmed they are a serious candidate to reach the NBA Finals.
The 76ers outscored the Nets in each of the four quarters, being led by their All-Star duo James Harden and Joel Embiid. Harden, playing against his old team, scored 23 points and dished 13 assists, while Embiid added 26 points. Forward Tobias Harris also did his part with 21 points on 9-14 shooting.
The Nets’ game plan focused on limiting Emiid, the favorite for this year’s NBA MVP award, and challenging other Philly players to beat them. But it turned out the 76ers were ready for this.
“We worked on it all week,” said 76ers’ head coach Doc Rivers after the game. “I give Joel credit, because I thought especially early he was patient and we sold that to him. You are going to wind up with whatever amount of points no matter what happens. And that happened.”
Brooklyn saw the biggest contribution for Mikal Bridges, who scored game-high 30 points. Bridges was actually drafted by the 76ers out of Villanova in 2018 but ended up being traded to the Phoenix Suns on draft night.
The 76ers and the Nets will square off again on Monday night in Game 2 at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
