The Philadelphia 76ers (10-8) handled the Brooklyn Nets (3-15) 115-103 at Barclays Center on Friday night. Philadelphia’s balanced scoring, front-court resiliency, and dominance in transition powered its 10th win of the season.
Letting Maxey breathe
The 76ers’ have often relied upon a herculean effort from Maxey to emerge victorious, but that wasn’t the case tonight. Although he led Philadelphia in scoring with 22 points, five other players reached double digits.
Jared McCain’s redemption continued tonight as he scored a season-high 20 points, five steals and four rebounds. Tonight marked his third consecutive game where he eclipsed 15 points and the eye test reflected as such. With each shot McCain attempted, he looked like the player who was poised to win the Rookie of the Year award last season. His ability to score on and off the ball shone tonight, especially in the fourth quarter where he accumulated 10 points.
Quentin Grimes wasn’t far behind, recording 19 points, nine assists and two steals. He was critical to the 76ers' win, despite shooting 0-6 from three-point range. Grimes’ off-the-dribble scoring gave Philadelphia a lift, namely in the third quarter where he notched nine points. His relentless scoring helped keep the Nets at arm’s distance when they pierced the 76ers’ lead to nine points.
While Paul George’s minutes restriction limited him to 21 minutes, he posted 14 points on 6-10 shooting from the field. His shot creation and spot-up shooting were transformative in the 76ers’ building a 21-point lead in the second quarter. George went scoreless in the last two quarters, however, settling for contested shots off the dribble.
Filling the void
Philadelphia’s frontcourt entered tonight shorthanded, being without Joel Embiid (knee) and Trendon Watford (adductor). Matters promptly went from bad to worse when Andre Drummond suffered a sprained right knee in the second quarter that sidelined him for the rest of the night.
It seemed as if the 76ers were in trouble as Adem Bona, who missed the last five games due to a right ankle sprain, Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker and Johni Broome each had three personal fouls at halftime.
But, Bona and Barlow only tallied one each in the second half and manned the paint under such challenging circumstances. Bona tallied 13 points on 6-7 shooting from the field, six rebounds, three blocks and hit his first career three-pointer. His help defense and decision-making out of pick-and-rolls were on display Meanwhile, Barlow notched 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. His intensity off the glass and off-ball activity yielded him respectable results.
Bringing the vision to life
Philadelphia aimed to play faster this season, but its subpar defense has rarely allowed it this season. The 76ers executed their vision to a tee against the Nets, however. They finished with 31 fast-break points and translated Brooklyn’s 18 turnovers into 17 points.
Much of Philadelphia’s offensive success stemmed from its transition play, especially in the first half. The 76ers’ uptempo pace allowed George and McCain to leak out their spots and Maxey’s seven assists went towards those efforts. Philadelphia must maintain this intensity against an opponent of higher caliber.
The 76ers will return to Xfinity Mobile Arena to face the Atlanta Hawks (11-8) on November 30th at 6:00 p.m. EST.