Harden, Embiid Lead Philadelphia 76ers to Game 1 Rout of Brooklyn Nets

• The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets in their series opener
• James Harden and Joel Embiid starred in the Sixers’ victory
• The Sixers knocked down 21 three-pointers against the Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers opened their campaign in the 2023 NBA Playoffs with a bang, crushing the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series on Saturday.

James Harden and Joel Embiid led the Sixers, who recorded an emphatic 121-101 win over the Nets at Wells Fargo Center.

They combined for 49 points in the series opener.

Harden, Sixers rain down threes

The Sixers torched the Nets from deep, knocking down 21 of their 43 attempts from the 3-point area.

Philadelphia made Brooklyn pay with their poor defense outside, hitting a total of 15 uncontested shots from beyond the arc, per ESPN.

Joel Embiid bolsters MVP case, scores 52 in Sixers’ win against Celtics

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The Sixers had plenty of open shots as the Nets employed a double-team strategy on MVP candidate Joel Embiid.  

James Harden made the Nets pay for that defensive alignment, making seven 3-pointers in Game 1. That is his most as a member of the Sixers.

Harden finished the game with 23 points and 13 assists in 36 minutes of action.

Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers praised Harden’s performance, saying that “he called a perfect game.”

Harden credited Embiid for his success, saying:

"Just trying to be aggressive. They're double-teaming Joel, so somebody else has got to try to make shots and be aggressive.”

Embiid started to find his range in the third quarter, scoring 10 of his 26 points during that period. The Sixers pushed the lead to double digits during that stretch, with their advantage ballooning to as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter.

Turnovers doom Nets

Milwaukee Bucks clinch top seed in East with win over Chicago Bulls

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Mikal Bridges dazzled in his playoff debut for the Nets, scoring 30 points in a losing effort. Brooklyn shot 13 of 29 from the 3-point area in this contest.

The Nets failed to take care of the basketball, however, committing 20 turnovers. That hurt their cause, as Philadelphia turned those errors into 31 points.  

Embiid named MVP Award finalist

Sports Brief recently reported on the NBA MVP Award finalists for the 2022-23 regular season.

Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo made the list for the second year running.

Jokic and Antetokounmpo have won the MVP award twice before.