Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers Pre-Game Report

By Fansided and Sandy Mui/FanSided via Nothin' But Nets
Published

Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) grabs a rebound during the fourth quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won the game 108-107. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets host the Philadelphia 76ers in an early Sunday afternoon game. Both teams sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

It’s the battle of the two worst NBA teams for the second time this season. The Brooklyn Nets are looking for revenge against the team that stands just a hair above them in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers.

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The last time the two teams faced each other, the Nets lost in heartbreaking fashion. It was a tight game throughout the night, and Brooklyn took a 98-97 lead with 2:54 remaining. That was their last lead though, and the Nets came up short, losing 108-107.

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    Now, the Nets are coming into the second game of their three-game home stand off another disappointing loss. It was unlikely that Brooklyn would’ve been able to dethrone LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Nets made a strong fourth quarter push. Unfortunately, it was not enough.

    The Sixers come into Sunday with a thrilling game of their own, a four-point loss to the Boston Celtics. This game was decided in the final seconds, as the point differential for the lead was no more than three in the last two minutes.

    It should be another showdown this afternoon, as both teams will certainly be hungry for another win in their rather drab seasons.

    Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert (22) goes up for a shot as Philadelphia 76ers forward Hollis Thompson (31) defends during the fourth quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won the game 108-107. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

    Nets’ Keys to Victory

    1) Properly close out the game

    The Nets have had issues all season closing out games, and they’d arguably have more wins if they could just do it right. Brooklyn has been right there with opponents like the until the very end, including the likes of the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and yes, the Philadelphia 76ers. Out of the Nets’ 27 losses, 10 of them have been by 10 or fewer points, which speaks a lot to their inability to close out games. Considering their last matchup against the Sixers came at the hands of the final minutes of the game, Brooklyn needs to be even more aware this time around to not let the same thing happen twice.

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    2) Play with energy

    This relates to the first point about the Nets needing to close out games with an exclamation point. In their last few outings, the Nets have come out of the first half looking like they’ve just been through a car crash, and they simply haven’t had the will to compete. An eight-win season can do that to them, but that doesn’t mean they should just play hard for one half and forfeit the rest of the game. Energy and the much-beloved Brooklyn Grit would be greatly appreciated.

    3) Rebound the basketball

    In terms of numbers, the Nets and Sixers had nearly the same amount of boards in their last matchup. However, this isn’t an issue of the Nets getting too few rebounds, it’s an issue of limiting the Sixers’ amount. Philadelphia has a major size advantage with their towering duo of Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor.

    Ironically, Brooklyn has two seven-footers of their own, but 5.2 rebounds per game (Brook Lopez) and 4.6 rebounds per game (Justin Hamilton) are not going to cut it. Hamilton was out in the previous game against Philly, so that may have attributed to the combined-20 rebounds by the Sixers’ twin towers. With Hamilton’s presence back on the court, combined with Brooklyn’s improved defense, hopefully we’ll see less instances of Philly getting easy second-chance points.

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    Players to Watch

    Nets: Caris LeVert (19 points, 4 rebounds in last game)

    Sixers: Joel Embiid (23 points, 8 rebounds in last game)

    Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Joe Harris (12) drives toward the net as Philadelphia 76ers guard Sergio Rodriguez (14) defends during the fourth quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won the game 108-107. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

    Projected Starters

    Nets

      Kenny Atkinson has gone with a myriad of lineups in the past few games, and Spencer Dinwiddie made his first start in a Nets uniform on Friday against the Cavaliers. It’s unclear if Atkinson will go with Whitehead or Dinwiddie this time around, but Dinwiddie did not have a particularly notable performance, scoring seven points and picking up five fouls in 18 minutes of action.

      Additionally, Harris has replaced Sean Kilpatrick as the starting shooting guard for the past two games, so he’ll likely get another start today.

      Sixers

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        Injuries

        Nets

          76ers

            Key Matchup

            Brook Lopez vs. Joel Embiid: It has to be the big men.

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