Game 1 of this 76ers-Nets first-round series saw Philadelphia break a franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a postseason game after connecting on 21 shots from beyond the arc over Brooklyn on Saturday. Game 2 was a much more closely contested matchup for the most part as the 76ers only took control of the game during the third quarter to come away with a 96-84 victory after trailing for much of the opening 24 minutes of play. Despite a standout performance from Cam Johnson, who finished the first half with 22 points, it was Philadelphia that ultimately came out on top thanks largely in part to a massive double-double from Joel Embiid and a 33-point explosion from Tyrese Maxey.
Brooklyn did a great job making things difficult on James Harden, who struggled from the field for the majority of the night before hitting a timely 3-pointer to help open up their lead during the fourth quarter. In the end, though, they simply did not have enough offensive firepower to keep pace with the Sixers as Tobias Harris also eclipsed the 20-point plateau in the win.
With the win, the 76ers head to Brooklyn with the opportunity to take a 3-0 lead over the Nets at Barclays Center. Game 3 will take place on Thursday.
Here are three key takeaways from the game:
1. Embiid makes huge impact despite constant double teams
The Nets came out in Game 1 and threw the kitchen sink at Joel Embiid, and the Sixers' supporting cast responded by knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer. While the strategy didn't work the first time, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn went right back to it in Game 2 and sent constant double teams at Embiid to force the ball out of his hands.
Early on, it was working to perfection, as Embiid couldn't get his own offense going and no one on the Sixers besides Tyrese Maxey could hit a shot. But as the game wore on, Embiid showed why he's the likely MVP by finding a way to make an impact on both sides of the ball. He finished with 20 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
In the final few minutes, he ended any hopes of a Nets comeback with a decisive stretch. First, he raced back in transition to come up with a huge block on Cameron Johnson, which led to a Maxey layup on the other end. Then on four consecutive possessions he threw down a huge dunk, drained a fadeaway jumper, found Maxey for an open 3 and got to the line for two free throws. If Johnson had made that layup, the Sixers' lead would have been down to five; by the end of his takeover, they were up by 14.
2. Maxey steps up
Tyrese Maxey has not had the easiest season. He got off to a terrific start, then missed six weeks with a foot injury and was benched for a stretch when he came back. But even with all the ups and downs, he put together a career year, averaging 20.3 points and 3.5 assists per game, while shooting 43.4% from 3-point land.
In Game 2 on Monday night, he had his most important performance of the season, finishing with 33 points on 13-of-23 from the field to lead all scorers in the game. This was his third career playoff game with at least 30 points and zero turnovers; since turnovers became an official stat in 1977, all other Sixers have two such games combined. (Charles Barkley and Julius Erving have one each.)
Scoring 33 points without a turnover would be impressive no matter what, but the way Maxey went about his work was crucial. He was the only one playing with any serious energy in the first half, and scored 18 of his points before the break to keep the Sixers in the game; they easily could have been down by double digits without his effort. Then, he stepped up again in the fourth quarter with another 10 points to help put the game away.
On a night when Embiid was largely prevented from getting his own offense, and James Harden -- eight points and five turnovers on 3-of-13 from the field -- the Sixers desperately needed someone else to pick up the slack. Maxey did just that.
3. Nets' lack of reliable scorers evident
The Brooklyn Nets started the season with two of the best scorers in the league in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but traded both at the deadline for a plethora of players. While they now have one of the deepest teams in the league, most of those players are best suited as third or fourth options on a really good team.
That problem was more evident than ever in Game 2, as they scored just 84 points on 30-of-80 from the field. This was the first time the Nets have failed to reach 85 points in a playoff game since 2021 (Game 3 of the East semis against the Bucks), and just the 12th time for any team this decade.
Cameron Johnson led the way with a playoff career-high 28 points, but he only managed six of them in the second half. Mikal Bridges, who has been moonlighting as a No. 1 option since arriving in Brooklyn, added 20 points. Every other Nets player combined for 36 points on 13-of-46 shooting. That's obviously not good enough in the postseason and is why the Nets will end up losing this series.