Brooklyn Nets: Philly Creates Some Elbow Room

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BACK IN THE LAB

Series tied 1-1

I - BKN 111; PHI 102

II - PHI 145; BKN 123

III - Thursday @ Nets

GAME TWO

Nets     123

Sixers  145

FINAL

Brooklyn Nets: Sixers Counter Punch in Game Two; Series Shifts to Flatbush Avenue.

This is the Philadelphia team Nets fans - and even their own fans - expected to see.  The Sixers played with great physicality unlike game one.  Just ask Jarrett Allen who took a Joel Embiid elbow to the face.  There is great debate as to whether or not Embiid should have been hit with a flagrant-two.  I say that's neither here nor there.  Not when the Nets put up 123 points and still lose by 22 points.

In game one, Embiid scored 22 points with 15 rebounds in 24 minutes mostly spent loitering around the three-point line.  He shot 12/18 from the floor, and 0/5 from beyond the arc.  In game two, he scored 23 points with 10 rebounds in 21 minutes.  However, the biggest difference from game one to game two was Embiid taking his game into the paint.  He attempted no three-point shots in game two, while going 8/12 from the field and 7/8 from the line.

In game one, Philly had only three players score in double-digits.  They featured six double-digit scorers (four from the starting lineup) in game two on Monday.  Jared Dudley, so instrumental to Coach Atkinson's defensive scheme in game one, did not participate in Monday's loss.

Most concerning to me was the Nets getting overwhelmed on the boards by a wide 49-32 margin.  They managed just 12 offensive rebounds, while the Sixers secured 34 defensive rebounds.  And although the Nets shot a respectable 47.8% from the field, Philly executed at a rate of 56.1% and benefited from nine more possessions.

While the win/loss sequence somewhat dampens the mood, the Nets nevertheless accomplished what needed to be done: earning a split on the road.  Now it's back to the lab in preparation of game three at Barclays Center on Thursday.