Philadelphia 76ers Make It Rain From Three, Crush Brooklyn Nets in Game 1

• The Philadelphia 76ers playoffs started with a bang as they crashed the Brooklyn Nets 121-101
• The 76ers hit an incredible 21 three-pointers and looked comfortable for the majority of Game 1
• The Nets were underwhelming, failing to get going and committing 19 turnovers

The Philadelphia 76ers made light work of the Brooklyn Nets, thrashing them 121-101 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series at home.

The Sixers were excep[tional from deep, hitting a staggering 21 three-pointers, and never felt threatened by the Nets.

Doc Rivers’ team didn’t need Joel Embiid to play in his MVP form. The center was a menace for most of the game. He finished with 26 points -- 16 of which came in the second half.

The Nets tried to double or triple-team him, a catastrophic decision that opened up the floor for the Sixers to go off from deep.

Mavericks, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving officially eliminated from playoff contention

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They went a staggering 21-for-43 from 3-point range, including hitting 15 uncontested 3-point shots, per CBS Sports.

James Harden finished with 23 points and 13 assists in 36 minutes. Five 76ers players finished with double digits in scoring.

Meanwhile, the Nets struggled to get going despite Mikal Bridges' incredible performance. He finished with 30 points, including two threes. No other Nets players scored more than 20 points.

Reactions to 76ers vs. Nets

Harden was excellent all game. He was pleased the Nets plan of stopping Embiid allowed his team to go off from deep.

"I mean, he's the MVP," Harden said of Embiid. "So it's like, would you rather him score 40, or live with us making shots? Either way, it's fine. We'll be ready either way…They're double-teaming Joel, so somebody else has got to try to make shots and be aggressive,” via ESPN.

LeBron James watches his son lead Team USA to victory at the Nike Hoop Summit game

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The Nets also committed 19 turnovers. It was going to be tough to win a game in the playoffs on the road with such high turnovers.

It was an impressive start for the Sixers, who are trying to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001.

Jacque Vaughn’s team will need to make a few adjustments for Game 2 to get back in the series.

Embiid named MVP finalist

Sports Brief earlier reported on 76ers superstar Embiid being named as a finalist for the 2023 NBA MVP award.

Embiid has finished second in MVP voting for the last two seasons but is the favorite to scoop the award this time/.

Denver Nuggets center and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo are the other two finalists.