Brooklyn Nets: Big One Not Enough Against Sixers

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

SATURDAY

Nets     108

Sixers  124

FINAL

This was like slowing down in your car to catch a glimpse of an accident on the other side of the road.

We know what the problem is.  Philadelphia always has a way of pointing it out.  

The Sixers scored exactly half of their 124 points in the paint.  Flatbush in the paint was a minus-thirty (32-62) for the game.  The Nets attempted 88 shots from the field, and 46.5% came from beyond the arc.  As such, only 29.6% of Brooklyn's points came in the paint.  They were also handsomely outrebounded by a 51-34 margin.  Two Sixers secured double-digit rebounds, whereas the Nets depended on James Harden to lead the team with eight while DeAndre Jorden had seven.

Minus Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on Saturday, Harden was tasked with leading the Nets and didn't get it done.  He scored a team-high 26 points but, in truth, did more to highlight Brooklyn's lack of interior presence than anything else.  I'm not so sure the presence of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving could have prevented Philadephia from exploiting Flatbush on the inside.  Of course, that still remains to be seen.  The last time these teams played each other, Kevin Durant nor Kyrie Irving was on the floor, nor was James Harden in the fold yet.

One thing the presence of KD and Kyrie might have changed was Saturday's performance from Joe Harris.  Once again, when Philadelphia decides to make Joe disappear, Harris goes poof!  In a game he should have hoisted no less than the second-most shots on the team behind Harden, he goes 6/9 from the field and 2/3 from behind the arc.  He finished tied for fourth on the team in shots with Jeff Green, behind Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Landry Shamet off the bench.  Harris wrapped up with 14 points and just one rebound in 22 minutes.