The Brooklyn Nets stunned the Philadelphia 76ers with an impressive 111-102 road win to snatch away home court advantage in their series opener.
In the post-game press conference, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said that he loved the way his guys responded to the raucous Philly crowd and the star power that the Sixers possessed. Moreover, he praised the way Brooklyn held its composure down the stretch to secure their first postseason victory after four years.
Kenny Atkinson on the most gratifying part of Brooklyn's Game 1 win: "That we weren't rattled."#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Wrkb4UY9Z2
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 13, 2019
Atkinson said that Brooklyn would usually blow games like these earlier in the season. But not tonight. And he took this game as “big progress” for the up-and-coming Nets.
Brooklyn sure did not look like a team that hasn't tasted the playoffs in four years. In fact, for most of these guys, especially the young stars leading their team, this is their first taste of basketball.
You would think there would be some playoff debut jitters, especially for the first-timers. But the Nets shook them pretty easily.
D'Angelo Russell and Caris Levert were the stars of the night for Brooklyn. Russell proved his All-Star self, leading the Nets with 26 points and four assists. Levert contributed 23 points off the bench, while Spencer Dinwiddie added 18 of his own.
Game 1 was close early, as the two teams traded buckets in the opening minutes. But sharp-shooter Joe Harris got hot in the first quarter, making all of his three triples in that period, to help the Nets build a 9-point lead after the first quarter.
Philadelphia staged several rallies throughout the game. But Brooklyn was able to fend off every single one the Sixers had in them to secure the Game 1 victory.
Game 2 tips off on Monday, with the Sixers looking to even the series. The Nets, on the other hand, are looking to tighten their stranglehold on the Sixers before they take the series to Brooklyn.
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