The Brooklyn Nets pulled off an upset in Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday afternoon, thumping them 111-102 in a game that wasn't really as close as the score indicates.

Now, the Nets, who have already “stolen” home-court advantage from the 76ers, will have a chance to deliver a crushing blow on Monday night as they look to take a 2-0 series lead back to Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia will look to find its footing after being blindsided in the opening contest.

Here are three bold predictions for Monday evening's matchup.

3. Ben Simmons Will Continue to Struggle

I'm not necessarily sure how “bold” this really is, as Ben Simmons does not exactly have the best track record, but based on the fact that he is an All-Star, his struggles may surprise some people.

The problem with Simmons is that he cannot shoot. Like, at all.

It's not like Giannis Antetokounmpo where he just isn't a good perimeter shooter and is trying to improve. Simmons simply does not shoot from the perimeter and hasn't shown any indication that he has worked on trying to get better from there, and the Nets took full advantage of that in Game 1.

Ben Simmons, Sixers,
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Brooklyn paid Simmons no mind around the three-point line or even from mid-range, instead choosing to collapse on drives from Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris and leaving Simmons relatively open.

The Nets have no respect for Simmons' jumper and they don't have to, because he doesn't have one.

Unless Simmons just wants to put his head down and try to get to the basket every time he wants a bucket, there really is nothing he can do to change the way Brooklyn is defending him, which, in turn, has an adverse effect on the Sixers' offense as a whole.

D'Angelo Russell, Nets
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2. D'Angelo Russell Will Get Off to a Good Start

D'Angelo Russell struggled in the first half of Game 1, scoring just seven points and clearly looking rattled by the moment.

However, he settled in as soon as the third quarter began and proceeded to drop 19 points in the second half, thwarting the 76ers any time they tried to make a run.

Now that he has his playoff jitters out of the way, Russell will likely get off to a better start in Game 2, and that is bad news for Philadelphia.

The 76ers' point guard defense has been an issue for the last two years. Markelle Fultz was supposed to rectify that issue going into this season, but we all know how that turned out.

Especially now with Joel Embiid ailing (more on that in a bit), Russell should be able to have his way with Philly's defense, as Simmons simply isn't quick enough to guard him for long stretches and Butler will have to expend a whole lot of energy on both ends of the floor.

It may very well come down to Russell simply making his shots, as he should get some good looks on Monday night.

Joel Embiid, Sixers

1. Joel Embiid Will Be a Defensive Liability

Going into Game 1, I thought the 76ers were playing possum by announcing that Embiid would be questionable due to a sore knee. I assumed Philadelphia was merely considering getting Embiid some rest, as even if the Sixers lost Game 1 without him, they could still proceed to win the series once he returned in Game 2.

What I didn't know was that Embiid was actually hurt and that the knee issue that gave him problems throughout the second half of the season has gotten worse.

It was blatantly obvious that the All-Star center was not 100 percent in Game 1. Not even close, actually. That was likely the reason why he attempted five three-pointers, as he was probably trying to preserve his knee.

Here is the problem: if Embiid is that hobbled again in Game 2, he may end up becoming a defensive liability for the 76ers, and it does not seem all that probable that Embiid suddenly got healthy within 48 hours.

The Nets' offense is predicated off of their guard play of Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie, and with athletic big men in Jarrett Allen and Ed Davis who can finish alley-oops, Embiid may be in some trouble.

Expect to see a heavy dose of pick-and-rolls from Brooklyn in Game 2, with the Nets likely doing everything they can to try and get Embiid to have to recover off high screen-and-rolls.

If the Nets can execute this properly and if Embiid is as compromised as he was in Game 1, Philadelphia is going to have a pretty big problem on its hands for this one.