Mediaboss Marketing

Were dropping Sixers knowledge all weekend

Looking to be the smartest in the office on Monday when it comes to Sixers talk?

Why not start on getting up to speed in the aftermath of the teams 121-101 win today ahead of Mondays Game 2 at the Wells Fargo Center (7:30 p.m., TNT).

David Murphy opines on just how good James Harden was in Game 1 and on Saturday was the Sixers believed was the Harden the Sixers believed they acquired last season.

The Sixers cooked the Nets in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs, with a performance our Sixers writer Keith Pompey said Brooklyn had no answers for.

Its the latest Inquirer insight ahead of the Sixers hoping to go two-up in the series when it hosts Brooklyn again in Game 2.

Looking for even more Sixers and NBA playoff coverage? We got you.

Sixers cruise as Nets have no answers

An excerpt from the analysis of Inquirer Sixers beat writer Keith Pompey:

On Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets had no answers for the 76ers balance and depth. And so the Sixers took a 121-101 victory in Game 1 of the first-round series at the Wells Fargo Center.

Joel Embiid had 26 points while going 11-for-11 from the foul line. The MVP finalist also had five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. James Harden had 23 points,13 assists, and four rebounds. Tobias Harris added 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

In all, the Sixers played 10 players all in the first half. Nine of the 10 players scored. And even thats misleading, considering Danuel House Jr., the player who didnt score, was only in for eight seconds in the first quarter.

The Sixers made 21 of 43 three-pointers and were 16-for-16 from the foul line. They also scored 31 points off 20 Brooklyn turnovers.

Brooklyns Mikal Bridges, a Philly native and former Villanova star, led all scorers with 30 points. But the Nets must find a way to overcome the Sixers balance if they expect to win Mondays Game 2 matchup (6:30 p.m., TNT).

The Sixers dominance was far from surprising for Brooklyn.

Read Keiths complete game analysis below.

READ MORE:Sixers cruise to 121-101 win over Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series

Social media shows love to Paul Reed

The Paul Reed love affair on social media came in bunches after his reverse two-handed jam put the Sixers ahead 102-83 with a little over 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Needless to say, a dunk like that, not only had Reed feeling himself but also got the Wells Fargo Center crowd and Twitterverse into a frenzy. Reed dropped 11 off the bench in 13 minutes of play.

It should be noted that the assist from James Harden was his 10th of the game and stamped his double-double performance with authority. Harden was on 20 points and those 10 boards after the jam. He finished the game with 23 points and 13 assists.

Kerith Gabriel

Sixers put clamps on Bridges

The Sixers held Mikal Bridges scoreless for the last 8 minutes of the third, thanks largely to the defense of DeAnthony Melton. Bridges has 25 for the Nets. Sixers lead by 12 entering the fourth. He finished with 30 points.

Marcus Hayes

Playoff duel between friends

Harden leading the way at halftime

The Nets and Mikal Bridges are targeting James Harden, who gave up five points in the matchup. Of course, Harden also scored nine straight, so

And the Sixers happen to have a 67-58 halftime lead behind Hardens 17 points and six assists.

Marcus Hayes

Bridges lead Nets, while Sixers spread the love

The Sixers are having some trouble keeping Mikal Bridges from doing whatever he wants. That said, he might need to finish with 80 points in order for it to matter. Seven different Sixers knocked down a three-pointer in the first 13 minutes of the game. Thats a difficult thing to do.

David Murphy

Rebounds, defense keeping Sixers in game

The Sixers have seven offensive rebounds in the first eight minutes. P.J. Tucker has three of them. They lead by a point, and thats why.

And then theres Joel Embiid, who led the NBA in scoring. He has altered or discouraged three shots in the first nine minutes. Thats why hes the real MVP the past three seasons.

READ MORE:"You need a P.J. on your team: Former teammates, coaches explain what makes P.J. Tucker so special

Marcus Hayes

Bridges gets off to a hot start

Mikal Bridges is 3-for-4 and he probably got fouled on his miss. The Sixers simply dont have an answer for him. The Philly native and Villanova champion isnt shrinking from the moment against his hometown team.

Marcus Hayes

Sixers-Nets Game 1 is underway

It started 15 minutes later than it was scheduled to begin, but the Sixers playoffs are officially underway. Keep it locked here for live updates and analysis throughout Game 1 and head over to Gameday Central for live stats and play-by-play action.

Matt Mullin

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni rings the bell before Game 1

Which is fitting because of his strong friendship with Doc Rivers. The two have become pen pals, checking in over text and discussing coaching principles, as The Inquirers Gina Mizell noted in our pages and on Twitter.

Rating the Sixers pregame outfits from Game 1

The Sixers are in full postseason mode, and they have the fits too match. PJ Tuckers purple crochet piece is a winner, and Georges Niang makes his mark with an Awake NY x Carhartt active Jacket and Pine Green Jordan 4s.

And now, we rate the fits...

DeAnthony Melton: 6/10

Earl Hopkins

Heres who will start Game 1 for the Sixers

Sixers Game 1 Drip Watch: Tyrese Maxey and Montrezl Harrell

Point guard Tyrese Maxey pulls up to Wells Fargo Center decked out in a matching cotton candy mint fit.

Maxeys rating: 6/10

Meanwhile, backup big man Montrezl Harrell came out strong during pregame warmups. But P.J. Tucker no surprise stole the show with his kicks.

Earl Hopkins

Georges Niang describes the intensity of the NBA playoffs

Steph Curry said it best. I heard it in an interview: The playoffs are like two regular-season games in one. Thats how freaking hard youre playing. Guys minutes may go down. Guys minutes may go up. But thats how hard youre playing. Its super physical. There are not ticky-tack fouls being called. It is very intense. Theres no helping people up off the floor. Its cut-throat. Everybody wants to win it. Its the most intense part of the season. When I first got into the NBA, Kevin Pritchard in Indiana told me theres five stints in the season. Preseason. The beginning of the season, when everybodys kind of feeling each other out. Pre-All-Star break, when everybodys exhausted and cant wait until the break. After All-Star break. And then playoffs. Playoffs are when young boys get exposed, and the men really flourish. Ive always taken that to heart and realized that playoff basketball is just so intense with the attention to detail. Youre going to know everything that they run. Theyre going to know everything that you run. Its just whos going to fight through the crap and all that to come out victorious. Its like going into the room and being like, All right, whos coming out alive?

Down in the bubble with Utah, we were up 3-1 against Denver. Youre thinking were going to beat them, and anything can happen. Then you kind of realize the knockout game is the hardest freaking game. All weve got to do is get one out of the next three, and they come back and we lose three straight because the unexpected happened. So you always have to prepare to cover all your bases. Theres no taking your foot off the gas. Sometimes, in the regular season, you can get away with doing that. Theres no place for that at all in the playoffs.

READ MORE:This is an opportunity that weve all been waiting for: Georges Niangs Inquirer diary lifts curtain on Sixers playoff run

Georges Niang, as told to Gina Mizell

How to profit from a dominant 76ers first-round victory over Brooklyn

FanDuel has assembled a full menu of betting options for how the series might unfold.

All signs point to an easy Sixers win.

But how many games will the series go? Will the Sixers win the series by more than 2 games? Will they win it in four games and award bettors laying +270 odds?

Theres no reason to get overwhelmed by all these betting options, as its best to begin your process by identifying a winner in this series (likely the Sixers) and then assessing how you can extract the best value.

According to our Action Labs database, the Sixers are 24-11 straight up against the Nets in the past 35 meetings. That includes a 4-1 series win in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

Moreover, Philadelphia won all four games against Brooklyn this season.

While backing the Sixers to win the series at -800 odds offers little value, if you like the 76ers to overwhelm the Nets in this series, you can back them on the series spread of -2.5 (-162).

Wed also recommend taking a shot with a 76ers sweep, or the series ending with a Sixers victory in five games.

READ MORE:Is there any value in betting on the series in Sixers vs. Nets? We have a few ideas.

Jeff Neiburg and Michael Arinze, The Action Network

Watch: Franklin jumps out of a plane to get ready for the playoffs

Look up in the sky! Its a bird! Its a plane! Its ... a dog?!

If youve ever been to a Sixers game, youve seen Franklins high-flying antics before. But youve probably never seen him get this high or fall back to earth this quickly.

Thats because the Sixers mascot teamed up with the Red Bull Air Force on Friday, ahead of Phillys playoff opener against Brooklyn, and decided to dive out of a plane and head-first into the postseason.

Unlike with the Phillies or Eagles, Franklin wasnt able to land on the playing surface prior to the game you know, because of that pesky Wells Fargo Center roof but that doesnt make the feat any less impressive.

Matt Mullin

P.S. Do you have any idea how hard it was to write this without making a raining cats and dogs reference?

The betting value is with Brooklyn in Game 1

The Sixers are a sizable favorite in Saturdays opener, which isnt shocking, given that Philly swept the season series from the Nets and finished nine games ahead of their Atlantic Division rivals in the standings.

What might be a bit of a surprise? Were taking the points with the road underdog in Game 1.

Theres not a lot of head-to-head data to support a hypothesis that Brooklyn will keep it close.

After all, Philadelphia dominated various iterations of the Nets this year, going 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS. That includes one meaningless 19-point victory that kicked off the preseason and one meaningless 29-point victory that concluded the regular season.

It didnt matter if Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons were on the court in Nets uniforms (as was the case to start the season) or not (as will be the case in this series). Philadelphia took care of business each and every time.

So whats the logic for fading the Sixers in Game 1 especially since they finished with the NBAs best overall ATS record (48-34) and fourth-best ATS mark at home (25-16)?

Three words: Inflated point spread.

READ MORE:Nets vs. 76ers prediction: Betting value is with Brooklyn in Game 1 in Philadelphia

Matt Jacob, The Action Network

Almost-Sixer Mikal Bridges leading the way for Nets

The Brooklyn Nets, in just a little more than two months, have gone from a tiresome group of mercenaries to an interesting young team led by a rather amiable Villanova alumnus. They may not have enough firepower to make a deep run as when they had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but with Mikal Bridges leading the way, the Nets definitely are more tolerable. At least until that first hard foul on Joel Embiid.

Of our 25 things to ponder as this first-round series gets under way, several related to Sixers playoff opponents who played in the Big 5 including Bridges, who won big at Villanova before almost becoming a Sixer on draft night ...

Bridges, who helped Villanova win a pair of national titles, exploded after the Nets plucked him away from Phoenix in the Kevin Durant deal in February. Bridges averaged 17.2 points with Phoenix, but 27.2 in his first 26 games with Brooklyn before making a nominal, four-second appearance in the season finale.

Bridges has never missed a game for which he was eligible in his NBA career, which includes the leading active streak of 392 regular-season games, in addition to 35 playoff games. He played in all 116 possible games at Villanova, too. Whew.

Bridges was drafted 10th overall by the Sixers in 2019, but quickly traded to Phoenix for Zhaire Smith (ugh) and a 2021 first-round pick which Philadelphia used to acquire Tobias Harris. Bridges, who attended Great Valley High School, freely admits he was angry when the Sixers traded him. Smith, by the way, hasnt played in the NBA since 2019-20.

Bridges arrival to the Sixers seemed like a natural fit even his mother worked for the teams human resources. But that wasnt the way it played out. Mom, though, was thrilled when Bridges was traded from Phoenix to Brooklyn. Tyneeha Rivers, according to the New York Post, is the Chief People Officer for Curaleaf in New York. When Bridges dropped 45 points on Miami in February, he was able to hand his game-worn jersey to Mom sitting courtside.

READ MORE:25 things to know about Sixers-Nets as Game 1 of their first-round series approaches

Ed Barkowitz

Sixers will have to beat the Nets without Ben Simmons

Read the rest here:
Sixers vs. Nets: Philly wins 121-101 to take Game 1 after clamping down Mikal Bridges in second half - The Philadelphia Inquirer