Blake Daniels, April 17, 2023

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The Brooklyn Nets try again on Monday night. The Nets were outgunned 121-102 by the Sixers in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Philly also covered the 8.5 spread easily in that game as they hit a franchise playoff record with 21 three-pointers made. Joel Embiid and James Harden led the way for the No. 3 seeded Sixers but it was a team effort as three others Sixers players scored in double digits.

Brooklyn kept itself within striking distance during most of the game. However, they were outscored in each of the four quarters and the Sixers were able to blow them out during the fourth quarter of the game.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets began the season looking to finally win the title. But those aspirations went down the drain when both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving requested a trade before the deadline. Without the two, the Nets lost their star power although they got some good players, including Mikal Bridges.

Bridges had himself a Nets playoff debut when he put up 30 points in Game 1 of this series while keeping the team within striking distance of the Sixers early in the game. He shot 10-16 from the floor and scored 23 points in the first half as Brooklyn trailed by only 9 at the break. Cameron Johnson added 18 points while Spencer Dinwiddie was the only other player to score in double digits with 14.

Although the sellout crowd of 20,913 was against them, Brooklyn started out decently and they were able to keep themselves close to the Sixers. They did this by not letting Joel Embiid take over the game. Despite that, they could not stop Embiid who scored 26 and made all 11 of his free throw attempts.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers opened their 2023 postseason strong. They blew out the Nets by 20 points in the series opener despite Joel Embiid not having a monster night. James Harden looked impressive with seven three-pointers made while finishing with 26 points and 13 assists. Embiid made only seven field goals but went 11-11 from the foul line.

Tobias Harris also scored 21 points while Tyrese Maxes was the fourth starter in double-digit scoring with 13 points. The Sixers made a total of 21 three-pointers in Game 1, setting a new franchise playoff record. Maxey and Harris made three three-pointers each while PJ Tucker, DeAnthony Melton, and George Niang added two triples apiece.

Philly outscored Brooklyn in each of the four quarters of the game, including 8 in the fourth period where they broke the game wide open. The Sixers have owned the Nets, beating them seven times in their last 10 games played and in each of their last 5 playoff meetings.

Nets vs 76ers SU Prediction

The Nets are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played against the Sixers. Brooklyn is 2-4 SU in their last six games played against Philadelphia.

Brooklyn Nets SU trends:

• The Nets are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played.
• The Nets are 22-20 SU in 42 road games played this season.
• The Nets are 30-23 SU in their last 53 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Nets are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games played against the Atlantic Division.

Philadelphia 76ers SU trends:

• The Sixers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played.
• The Sixers are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games played at home.
• The Sixers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games played against the Atlantic Division.
• The Sixers are 18-9 SU in their last 17 home games against the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers made the Nets pay for double-teaming MVP candidate Joel Embiid in Game 1. Every time that Brooklyn put two men on The Process, he made the kick-out pass to his open teammates and they responded by knocking down the three ball shots and setting a franchise playoff record for three-pointers made by going 21-43 from deep.

James Harden scored 23 points while dishing off 13 assists with 7 rebounds and made 7-13 shots from long range. Embiid still led the team with 26 points, including an impressive 11-11 from the foul line. Harden and Embiid led a balanced scoring attack which saw five Sixers finish in double-digit scoring.

Meanwhile, the Nets will try to steal one game in Philly again. Brooklyn hung around for the majority part of the game. However, they committed 20 turnovers and that ultimately cost them. If they win this game, they will head home for Game 3 with home-court advantage shifting in their favor.

Miles Bridges scored 30 points in his first playoff game for the Nets. Cameron Johnson added 18 points while Spencer Dinwiddie had 10. Seth Curry also scored in double-digits with 10 for Brooklyn. No doubt that the Nets have the firepower to keep themselves in this game. However, they need to take care of the ball better in order to have a chance to win.

Brooklyn also gave up 21 second-chance points to the Hungry Sixers. That number has to go down if they want to win this game. If they are able to do that and execute better. This should not look like the blowout that we saw in Game 1.

I think that the Nets will give this game a better fight. However, the Sixers should prove too much for them once again. With Embiid and Harden playing well together, I expect the Sixers to build a 2-0 series lead. The Nets have lost five straight playoff games to the Sixers. Make that six in a row.

Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers

Nets vs 76ers ATS Prediction

The Nets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played against the Sixers. Brooklyn is 3-2 ATS in their last 5 games played in Philadelphia.

Brooklyn Nets ATS trends:

• The Nets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
• The Nets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Monday games.
• The Nets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games versus a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600.
• The Nets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games against a team with a winning home record.
• The Nets are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games versus a team with a winning straight-up recThe Nets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Nets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The Nets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning percentage of above .600.
• The Nets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games.

Philadelphia 76ers AT trends:

• The 76ers are 25-12 ATS in their last 37 home games.
• The 76ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
• The 76ers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The 76ers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games.
• The 76ers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games versus a team with a winning road record.

The Nets came to this season with a championship in mind. That does not look plausible right now after they traded both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Although the Nets got a good haul from the two, they do not have the same star power as they had before.

 Before the two left, however, they left the Nets in good hands to make the playoffs. That’s a good part of why they are here right now. While the likes of Miles Bridges and Cam Johnson are very good players, they are not on the same superstar level as KD and Kyrie.

They are overmatched against a Sixers team that has two stars in Joel Embiid and James Harden. The Sixers also have a strong supporting cast with Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris.

 I think that Philly has too much muscle and firepower in this matchup. The Nets should be able to keep the game close early on but just as we saw in Game 1, the Sixers should pull away late. I’ll lay the points and pick Philly to win by double digits.

Prediction: Sixers -10

Nets vs 76ers Over/Under Prediction

The over is 4-1 in the last 5 games played between these two teams. The total has gone over in four out of their last five meetings in Philadelphia.

Brooklyn Nets over/under trends:

• ​​The over is 5-2 in the Nets’ last 7 road games.
• The over is 6-0 in the Nets’ last 6 games following a straight-up loss.
• The over is 4-1 in the Nets’ last 5 Monday games.
• The over is 4-1 in the Nets’ last 5 road games against a team with a winning home record.
• The over is 4-1 in the Nets’ last 5 versus a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The over is 6-2 in the Nets’ last 8 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The over is 5-2 in the Nets’ last 7 games following an ATS loss.
• The over is 5-2-1 in the Nets’ last 8 road games versus a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• The under is 4-1 in the Nets’ last 5 games playing on 1 day’s rest.

Philadelphia 76ers over/under trends:

• The over is 4-0 in the 76ers’ last 4 overall.
• The over is 4-0 in the 76ers’ last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the 76ers’ last 4 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the 76ers’ last 4 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-1 in the 76ers’ last 5 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 6-2 in the 76ers’ last 8 games following a straight-up win of more than 10 points.
• The over is 5-2 in the 76ers’ last 7 home games versus a team with a winning road record.
• The under is 9-3 in the 76ers’ last 12 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The under is 25-10-1 in the 76ers’ last 36 Monday games.

Game 1 was played the way things unfolded when these teams met during the regular season. That’s with the Sixers controlling the paint and dominating the Nets. Game 1 went over after the Sixers hit a playoff franchise record with 21 triples made. Although I don’t expect them to hit as many three-pointers in Game 2, Philly has plenty of good outside shooters and they should be able to hit their stride once again.

The total has gone over 220 points in 8 out of the last 10 games played by the Nets. Meanwhile, the 76ers have gone over 220 points in all but one of their last 10 games played. They have scored at least 121 in each of their last three games. The Philly offense is clicking and although they play terrific defense, this game should go over this low total.

Prediction: Over 214