NBA playoff preview and tips: Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
- George Dempsey
- 17 April 2023
Philadelphia 76ers will hope to record another blowout victory as they play host to Brooklyn Nets in game two of the NBA playoffs.
Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets in commanding fashion, 121-101, to make the most of their home court advantage in game one. They're a -10 favourite for game two with the expectation they'll record another comfortable victory.
The 76ers defence put in a dominant performance to take the match away from Brooklyn in game one of their series, forcing 19 turnovers and picking up 14 steals.
The visitors shot 55.7% from the field, a number considerably better than the 47.2% Philly managed, with the defensive contributions of PJ Tucker and Tyrese Maxey proving crucial.
Having recorded 39 steals in the 82-game regular season, PJ Tucker went to town as he stole the ball five times, pulling in seven rebounds, with his hustle on the offensive glass contributing to a handful of second-hand points and three assists.
James Harden logged 13 assists with a number of those seeing the ex-Net feeding Embiid near the basket. Brooklyn had no answer for the big man who lead Philly with 26 points.
Even though all of those things went right for Philadelphia, the Nets had limited their lead to single digits until the fourth quarter of the game.
Brooklyn can take confidence from how well they shot the ball on the occasions they did look after it. Mikael Bridges continues to set the example, scoring 30 points, and he should be able to cause some problems in game two.
Jacque Vaughn will be emphasising the importance of looking after the ball and taking care with your passes ahead of the second meeting in Philly, which is something that would close the gap between the two sides.
A byproduct of looking after the ball better will be fewer chances for the hosts and more for themselves, but it doesn't fix the issues that made it so easy for the 76ers to score when they had the ball.
There is no answer to Joel Embiid and the Nets weren't able to get near James Harden. Philadelphia are capable of scoring at will throughout this series.
Philly have scored 121, 134, 101, 137 and 115 in meetings between the sides this season, with the Nets contributing 105 or more in three of those contests.
The bookmaker's adjustment after game one has seen them raise the total from 213 to 214. The teams have combined for 227.5 across the last 10 meetings, so betting over the total seems sensible.
Standout Trends
Over is 6-2 in Philadelphia's last eight games after a win of 10+ points.
Over is 4-1 in Philadelphia's last five games when playing Brooklyn.
Over is 9-3-1 in Brooklyn's last 13 games as an underdog of 5-10.5 points.
Over is 6-2 in Brooklyn's last eight games after a loss of 10+ points.
