The Philadelphia 76ers took a 2-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets after a hard-fought 96-84 win last night. Brooklyn’s job in this series was not to let Joel Embiid hit them on the offensive end, but this opened up the field for the others. Therese Maxey took full advantage of that last night joining the Sixers legend with his 30+ point performance. Maxey and Allen Iverson are the only players in the 76ers with 30 points and 5 three-point playoff games.
Philly’s third-year pro Therese Maxey enjoyed a 33-point lead and the Sixers continued to prove that they are much more than a one-man team. Joel Embiid is the best player in the league this season, but the rest of the 76ers compliment him nicely. The Brooklyn Nets would double Embiid with every chance they got last night leading to open shots for his teammates.
Pennsylvania sports betting sites have 76 seats at (+850) to win the finals this season.
Therese Maxey joins Allen Iverson (also twice) as the only 76er with 30-point games and a 5-3 record in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/yUn1kgT7bO
– ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 18, 2023
Therese Maxey came away with 33 points and six triples against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 last night
The Brooklyn Nets held the first half to a low-scoring game as both teams were unable to muster 100 points. However, a 14-point third quarter by the Brooklyn Nets is what they eventually did. They lost Game 2, 96-84, and returned to the Barclays Center 0-2 in the opening round.
While the Nets did a good job of slowing Embiid down on the offensive end, he made his presence felt in defence. The soon-to-be Player of the Game scored 19 rebounds last night, 17 of which were defensive and grabbed 15 in the first half. This is the most by a Sixers player in a tiebreaker in the last 25 seasons.
Brooklyn is not the same team they were at the start of the season as they were 18-2 in 20 games. The deals of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving changed the roster and the Nets had limited time compared to the 76ers to be ready for this series. The Nets would seek to win one of those next two games at home to avoid being swept in the opening round in consecutive seasons by indoor division opponents.