The Philadelphia 76ers defeated Brooklyn 102-97 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 series lead. Joel Embiid, who had been hobbling throughout the game and may have been fortunate to avoid being sent off for kicking a Nets player in the groyne area, blocked a possible game-tying shot with 8.8 seconds remaining.
Tyrese Maxey hit the game-winning 3-pointer for the 76ers with 44 seconds left, and with a victory on Saturday in Brooklyn, they will advance 3-0.
Maxey grabbed control of the offence and scored eight straight points, converting a five-point deficit into a 99-96 advantage on his 3-pointer. Embiid was not playing like his typical powerful self and James Harden had been sent to the bench in the third quarter for another groyne shot.
Prior to Embiid leaping up and blocking it, Spencer Dinwiddie seemed to have a route to the rim for a game-tying layup after making one free throw. The Nets turned the ball over on their ensuing possession after P.J. Tucker scored a free throw to put the score 100-97.
For the 76ers, Maxey scored 25 points while Harden added 21. Despite only making 5 of his 13 shots, Embiid managed to score 14 points and grab 10 rebounds.
For the Nets, who have dropped nine straight postseason games and are in danger of being swept for the second consecutive season, Mikal Bridges scored 26 points and Dinwiddie added 20. 17 points were scored by Cam Johnson.
76ers defeat the Nets
After checking out in the first quarter, Embiid went to the locker room for treatment. Later, he started limping often.
The fact that he was still playing at that time may have been fortunate for the 76ers.
People who weren’t in the arena asked why he wasn’t sent packing, as Golden State’s Draymond Green was for stepping on Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of their series. Nets fans booed him for kicking his leg up towards Nic Claxton’s groyne in the first quarter. Following that, the NBA benched Green for Game 3.
However, in the third quarter when Harden, who was being tightly defended by Royce O’Neale, flung out his arm and smacked the swingman, who dropped to the ground in pain, the decision went against the 76ers.
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Embiid’s flagrant penalty gave the Nets an emotional boost, and they quickly took a 19-11 lead. However, Philadelphia came back to lead 32-28 after one and 51-40 after Maxey’s 3-pointer with 3:52 remaining in the first half. The advantage was 11 at the half.
However, Bridges gave the Nets an early lead in the third, and Johnson added 13 points as the Nets outscored the 76ers 35-18 to take an 82-76 advantage into the fourth.
Brooklyn’s previous postseason victory came in Game 5 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which Milwaukee ultimately won and the NBA Championship. The Nets’ postseason record against the 76ers at home is at 0-6. They have a road record of 4-5, one victory in 2019 and three in 1984, the year in which they shocked the reigning NBA champs 3-2.
QUICK STAT?
When asked about how the Nets were guarding Harden, 76ers coach Doc Rivers disclosed something that caused some perplexed faces in the audience.
Rivers remarked, “I don’t want to seem like I’m campaigning, but I am. “James and Joel do, in terms of fouls, top the league in missed calls. They committed the most fouls, which isn’t a Sixers statistic, by the way. Just passing along.
When pressed for further information on this statistic, Rivers would only respond, “I will just say that it’s a stat that we know that it’s there.”