Philadelphia 76ers Secure Win Over Brooklyn Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers got their eighth win of the season over the Brooklyn Nets without point guard Ish Smith.

The Brooklyn Nets fell into an even darker place than before, and the Philadelphia 76ers inched closer to double-digits in the win column on Saturday night in the Wells Fargo Center. Coming into the game, both teams were coming off of their last game just the night before, having to take flights into Philly, and it sure looked like it early on in the game with several turnovers and just 12 first quarter points from the Nets. The Sixers lead by 15 at one point, but the Nets fought back throughout the game to make it a competitive one. The Sixers came out on top 103-98 in a tight finish, with both teams scoring 34 points in the fourth quarter.

The Nets had a historic night on Friday, beating the Kings 128-118, hitting 18 3-pointers on the night. They looked much different on Saturday hitting just 5 3-pointers, turning the ball over 19 times. Many of those turnovers were from steals from the Sixers, where they totaled 12. The Sixers were able to get over 20 points from Nets’ turnovers.

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Nerlens Noel showed up strong with 4 steals, 3 blocks, and 18 points. His partner in crime Jahlil Okafor had a decent showing with 22 points of his own, on top of 17 rebounds and 3 blocks. Both big men were evidently strong components of the win, which was encouraging to see with all the talk of them not being able to work together.

Ish Smith, who has singlehandedly turned this team around since Christmas, was injured and did not appear in this game, so the Sixers appeared to be disadvantaged from the start, but T.J. McConnell‘s 17 points and 6 assists showed he is important to this team as well, and can show up when needed. Kendall Marshall played an over-average 20 minutes in Smith’s absence, with 3 assists but just 4 points.

McConnell forced a turnover for the Nets with a steal late in the fourth quarter that arguably helped seal the game for Philly.

Former Sixer and current Nets player Thaddeus Young was very active in this game scoring 22 points and bringing in 10 rebounds. He was charged with a technical foul early in the game after saying something to a referee that prompted the official to say, “don’t say that again.” Aside from Young, the Nets impact was felt from center Brook Lopez, who had 17 points and 5 rebonds.

This game was largely won by the long ball and points in the paint. The Sixers outscored the Nets by 15 from beyond the arc, and 14 in the paint, both impressively large differentials.

Overall, this matchup between two of the lowliest teams in the NBA, with a combined record of 20-81 going into tonights game, so it was no surprise that this game was a bit hard to watch, especially without one of the Sixers most explosive players Ish Smith on the floor. Thankfully T.J. showed up to play.

Saturday was Darryl Dawkins night at the Wells Fargo Center, fittingly as “Chocolate Thunder” played for both the Sixers and the Nets during his career. The Sixers wore commemorative warmup t-shirts, socks, and festivities throughout the night honored the passed legend who had an impact on many lives off of the court. It was great to get a win for the big man, and for those of us who believe in an afterlife, we are certain he was smiling down on the electricity at the Center on Saturday.

Next up for Philadelphia is the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Monday. Ish Smith is supposed to be returning for that game, but even when he was on the team for their last face-off with the Clips, the Sixers lost by 31. But at least Philly fans have this win to get them through the Super Bowl weekend.