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Following a tough loss at the hands of the Miami Heat Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers headed to Brooklyn Thursday for the second leg of a back-to-back. They once again found themselves facing off against a shorthanded squad as Brooklyn's roster was hit hard by health and safety protocol.
Similar to their matchup with the Heat, the Sixers found themselves in a tight game down the stretch thanks to a second-half surge. Unfortunately for them, they also suffered the same fate. The depleted Nets squad hit multiple shots late to keep the Sixers at bay and walk away with a 114-105 victory. Here are some observations from the matchup.
76ers Observations
1) Kevin Durant masterclass
While the Nets were without multiple key players Thursday, they still had their star. Kevin Durant has been an early favorite for MVP this season, and he continued his impressive run against the 76ers. Durant ended the night with a game-high 34 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
The elite talents of this league are always going to get their stats. It's almost a given. Durant has been one of the league's premier scorers for years now, and the Sixers' defense struggled in attempting to make life difficult for him. For long stretches of this game, he got about whatever he wanted on the offensive end.
Durant's biggest blows came in the game's final minutes. He is one player you do not want to get in a shot-making contest with and showed why Thursday. The former MVP's most impactful moment came when he connected on a four-point play after being fouled by Tobias Harris from beyond the arc.
Even with being shorthanded, Durant managed to elevate the Nets just enough to walk out with a victory.
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2) Seth Curry comes alive
After being one of the most consistent players all season for the 76ers, Seth Curry found himself in a bit of a dry spell. Whatever had been bothering the sharpshooting guard was a non-issue against Brooklyn, as he looked like the player we are accustomed to seeing.
Curry finished the night as the Sixers' second-leading scorer with 29 points, marking a new season-high. He connected on 13 of his 21 shot attempts, including a trio of makes from beyond the arc.
This is the level of aggressiveness the Sixers want to see from Curry. When he is hunting shots, they become a much harder team to defend. Not to mention when he heats up, the points can rack up in a hurry. If the Sixers are going to get back on track, they need Curry to start looking like his old self again.
3) Joel Embiid does it all
Kevin Durant wasn't the only star to have a big night Thursday as Joel Embiid did all he could to match his production. The big fella scored 32 points to the tune of 55% shooting from the floor. On top of that, Embiid grabbed nine rebounds and dished six assists.
Brooklyn's lack of size makes them a glaring mismatch for Embiid, and he did all he could to exploit it. Being without starting point guard Tyrese Maxey, the All-Star center even took on facilitating duties. He kicked off the game with an array of assists to open three-point shooters.
Embiid did all he could to end the Sixers' losing woes but came up just short. This season, he has been called on to lead the team more than ever before. The 76ers desperately a dominant stretch from Embiid before this season starts to get out of hand.
