PHILADELPHIA – The Nets couldn’t take advantage of Joel Embiid’s absence in a humbling 121-95 defeat at Wells Fargo Center.
A strong start from downtown gave Brooklyn a five-point lead with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter, but the team was quickly undone by its inability to find any consistency on offense. Midway in the second quarter, the Nets were shooting 28 percent from the field and only seven of their 27 field goal attempts were not threes. They would enter the second half trailing 61-49 and it would only get worse in the final 24 minutes – allowing Philadelphia to score 32 points in the third quarter.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 16 points while J.J. Redick paced the Sixers with 19 points. Brooklyn’s road trip now moves on to Milwaukee, where the team will face the Bucks on Thursday.
“I thought Philly was great and we were not very good,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I do think your mind has to be right, your mental focus has to be right and it wasn’t there. It was evident in our passing, our execution and our defense. Just not engaged, either physically or mentally. This is what happens in this league, that happens against a good team and you take 30 on the chin.”
Here are Three Observations:
Offensive Woes Cost Nets
Despite Embiid being sidelined, Brooklyn appeared to be immediately deterred from attacking the rim due to an aggressive Philadelphia defense. Robert Covington and Richaun Holmes ensured that the hosts remained effective at defending the rim as they combined for six blocks. As a result, the Nets became over-reliant on the three as 20 of their first 27 attempts were from downtown. The team would finish the game being outscored 60-32 in the paint.
“We did not finish well at the rim,” Atkinson said. “I don’t know how many turnovers we finished with, but we were sloppy – we didn’t take care of the ball.”
Brooklyn finished with 18 turnovers, which Philadelphia converted into 21 points. When the team did attack the rim, it didn’t convert on free throws – shooting just 10-for-23.
Rebounding and Defensive Issues Resurface
The Nets issues didn’t stop with just offensive execution, they also struggled to compete on the glass, which is concerning considering Embiid’s absence.
Brooklyn was outrebounded by 20 boards as Philadelphia collected 56 rebounds. When Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was reinserted into the starting lineup, the team initially saw some improvement in that area. Yet, in their past two games, Brooklyn has fallen into some bad habits and it has affected its effort on the glass and defensively.
“When you don’t have physical engagement, or mental engagement, it just becomes a layupathon,” Atkinson said. “They just kept on laying it up on us and that’s just the reality of what it was.”
Joe Harris agreed with his coach’s assessment.
“I think a lot of was effort defensively, intensity defensively.” Harris said. “We just didn’t do a good enough job of disrupting their rhythm. It seemed like they kind of got whatever they wanted.”
Philadelphia finished the game shooting 54.3 percent from the field.
Nik Stauskas, Jahlil Okafor Take Advantage of Playing Time
Stauskas and Okafor have struggled to find consistent roles on the Nets, but the two got some playing time in the fourth quarter. While the game was already decided at that stage, it was opportunity for both to showcase why they deserve more minutes in the final four games of the season and both took advantage of it.
Okafor battled through a turned ankle to finish with 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting and five rebounds. The center, who isn’t known for his outside touch, showed some prowess on the perimeter – hitting a midrange shot and a corner three.
“It’s an opportunity to play and get a feel for it,” Okafor said. “Get some of your rhythm back.”
He added, “The next four games, my teammates and I want to finish off on the right foot so that we can have a good offseason.”
Stauskas had a strong third quarter, hitting three from downtown and shooting 5-of-7 to score 13 points in seven minutes. While he wasn’t able to build on that, he continues to show that when he is on, he can score plenty of points in a hurry.