(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Brooklyn Nets: 2023 NBA first-spherical playoff preview

The Eastern Convention’s third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets meet in the first spherical of the 2023 NBA playoffs. The Sixers won the teams’ last playoff meeting in the 2019 opening spherical.

Extra Yahoo Sports activities NBA first-spherical playoff previews:

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Atlanta Hawks

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Novel York Knicks

(2) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers

(3) Sacramento Kings vs. (6) Golden Disclose Warriors

(4) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers

How they bought right here

Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)

No topic reinforcing the fly arena over the summer time, at the side of veterans De’Anthony Melton, P.J. Tucker and Danuel Condominium (via some tampering), the Sixers picked up the save they left off on the stop of last season, when two-time returning MVP runner-up Joel Embiid became once gassed, 33-year-outdated college one-time MVP James Harden became once cooked and each were bounced from the playoffs short of the conference finals for a fourth straight season.

Philadelphia misplaced four of its first five games and Harden to a strained ethical foot for a month before the entirety of November. Third-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who assumed the Sixers’ lead playmaking characteristic in Harden’s absence, and two-time returning MVP runner-up Joel Embiid every suffered left foot injuries in the weeks in a while. Because the calendar grew to develop into to December, Philadelphia became once a .500 staff in seventh space, losing in double time past law to the lottery-sure Houston Rockets despite the wholesome returns of Harden and Embiid.

Then, the Sixers took LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers to time past law on Dec. 9, successful the first of eight straight, and so that they by no formula seemed merit. Since that gain over the Lakers, Philadelphia owns the East’s high-rated offense (119.4 capabilities per 100 possessions) and the league’s easiest account (42-16).

The entirety starts with the 7-foot, 280-pound Embiid, the percentages-on MVP favorite and an absolute power on every ends of the floor. His 33.1 capabilities per sport (on 55/33/86 shooting splits) are potentially the most by a heart in nearly 50 years, and he added 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 combined blocks and steals per sport.

Harden returned to make as an All-NBA-caliber offensive maestro, averaging 21 capabilities (on 44/39/87 splits) and a league-leading 10.7 assists per sport. He and Embiid combined for 18 free throws a evening, and their pick-and-roll partnership is as lethal as any in the game. The emergence of Maxey (20.3 capabilities per sport on 48/43/85 splits) gave Philadelphia a secondary playmaking option past the favored contributions of Tobias Harris, whose $37.6 million wage most incessantly masks his capabilities down the offensive depth chart.

The additions of Tucker, Melton and alternate decrease-off date acquisition Jalen McDaniels gave Sixers coach Doc Rivers ample defensive alternatives to patch the topic of that comprises Harden and Maxey in the backcourt. Philadelphia carried out with a high-10 defense, and its easiest lineups performed nearer to league-leading ranges with Embiid because the anchor. As soon as again, the Sixers secret agent mettlesome entering the playoffs, and once extra, the success of their season will likely be obvious entirely by whether they are going to ever meet playoff expectations.

Brooklyn Nets (forty five-37)

Oh, boy. The Nets began the season with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and loads of questions about being swept from the first spherical of the 2022 playoffs. They answered none of them, save for a stretch of 18 wins in 20 outings that in quick elevated them among the Eastern Convention elite. Irving sandwiched that dash with an eight-sport suspension for platforming antisemitic arena topic and a alternate ask on Feb. 3.

The Nets met Irving’s query, dealing him to the Dallas Mavericks, and then did the identical when Durant requested a alternate to the Phoenix Suns thereafter. The combined return for Brooklyn became once Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and the rights to 6 first-spherical draft picks.

The incoming plethora of two-formula wings may perhaps perhaps need been a supreme vehicle for Simmons’ skills, other than psychological and physical hurdles prevented the three-time All-Well-known person from ever discovering his sprint. By the stop of the March, Jacque Vaughn, who assumed the Nets’ head-coaching responsibilities once they fired Steve Nash seven games into the season, officially dominated out Simmons for the leisure of the season with knee and merit injuries.

Durant and Irving left the Nets in fifth space in early February, and the emergence of Bridges as a authentic major option helped defend a assured playoff seed. Bridges averaged 26.1 capabilities (48/38/89 splits), 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 27 games down the stretch. Brooklyn has a plethora of wings and shooters to surround Bridges on a roster that is once extra titillating-made for a megastar to raise it into competitors.

As it were, Brooklyn carried out 11-13 as on the 2d constituted after the All-Well-known person rupture, owners of a detrimental procure ranking (-1.2 capabilities per 100 possessions). Protection can quiet defend the Nets in games, nonetheless the topic of generating halfcourt offense on the advantage of Bridges as a first-time lead playmaker is a large account for reach playoff time.

Face to face

The Sixers swept their ordinary-season series with the Nets, 4-0.

Of their first meeting on Nov. 22, Durant, Irving and Simmons all began for Brooklyn, whereas Philadelphia became once with out Embiid, Harden and Maxey, and the Sixers quiet won, 115-106. The wholesome Sixers handed Irving and company but another loss two months later. No person played in Sunday’s ordinary-season finale, when G League mainstays Mac McClung and Louis King combined for 40 capabilities in Philadelphia’s blowout gain of Brooklyn.

The splendid showdown that would be considered as a preview of this series became once their meeting on Feb. 11, and even that got right here shortly before the All-Well-known person rupture in the first sport Bridges and Johnson dressed for the Nets. Embiid and Harden combined for 66 capabilities in a 101-98 victory, nonetheless Brooklyn’s defense strangled all individuals else on the Sixers ample to grant Bridges a sport-successful layup attempt in one of the best seconds.

Closing lineups

Philadelphia 76ers

Embiid, Harden and Harris will likely be on the floor in crunch time, and Tucker’s 91 games of playoff trip over the last six seasons procure likely earned him a situation alongside them. Melton joined that quartet in the Sixers’ most-inclined (and theoretically easiest defensive) lineup this season — a 1,029-possession pattern dimension that yielded a surplus of 6.8 capabilities per 100 possessions. That procure ranking nearly doubled in 715 possessions with Maxey in the fifth situation, so query Rivers to favor the 22-year-outdated college until defense turns into the priority.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets procure ridden the extremely versatile minute-ball lineup of Dinwiddie, Finney-Smith, Bridges, Johnson and Royce O’Neale on occasion in fourth quarters, nonetheless they need dimension with Embiid on the floor of shut games. Which formula subbing O’Neale out for 6-foot-11 beginning heart Nic Claxton in a lineup that has outscored opponents by 20 capabilities over 328 minutes. That encompasses a +11 execute in 23 minutes against the Sixers.

Matchup to survey

If Embiid is dominating, as he has accomplished for the last five months, the Nets of route place no longer need any shot. That is not any guarantee, given Embiid’s history of injuries and conditioning components in the playoffs, nonetheless it absolutely is a massive job for Claxton. The splendid other certifiable astronomical physique on Brooklyn’s roster is a increasing Day’Ron Sharpe.

Claxton did publish his easiest performance of the season (a 25-level double-double on 11-of-12 shooting) opposite Embiid on Jan. 25. Claxton saved Embiid to 26 capabilities on ethical 6-for-18 shooting in that identical sport, providing a modicum of hope he can reproduce some semblance of that effort on this series. Any minutes keeping aside Embiid is time Brooklyn’s perimeter defenders can converse snuffing out the leisure of the Sixers.

The NBA’s monitoring knowledge supplies but another sliver of optimism: When the 2 services had been straight matched up against one but another this season, Claxton has scored 21 capabilities (10-12 FG) to Embiid’s 26 (10-21 FG) on superior efficiency. That defies the look test and the truth that Embiid gave Brooklyn 37 capabilities on 18 shots in their last meeting. It may perhaps perhaps perhaps well be a massive upset if the Nets severely threaten the Sixers on this series, nonetheless forcing Embiid to face his playoff demons early would be ample to avoid wasting a fright into them.

BetMGM series odds

Brooklyn Nets (+600)

Philadelphia 76ers (-900)

Assortment schedule (all times Eastern)

Game 1: Brooklyn at Philadelphia on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN)

Game 2: Brooklyn at Philadelphia on Monday (7:30 p.m., TNT)

Game 3: Philadelphia at Brooklyn on Thursday, April 20 (7:30 p.m., TNT)

Game 4: Philadelphia at Brooklyn on Saturday, April 22 (1 p.m., TNT)

*Game 5: Brooklyn at Philadelphia on Monday, April 24 (TBD)

*Game 6: Philadelphia at Brooklyn on Thursday, April 27 (TBD)

*Game 7: Brooklyn at Philadelphia on Saturday, April 29 (TBD)

Prediction

Sixers in six.