After a wild first weekend, the 2023 NBA playoffs continued with Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Coming off of a convincing win in Game 1, the Sixers survived a putrid offensive performance to win 96-84.

Let's break down Game 2 between the Sixers and the Nets.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 20 points, 19 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 6-11 FG shooting

Embiid's mastery of double-team pressure was once again key in this one with the Nets continuing to double him. The Sixers couldn't find him the space near the hoop to score so he initiated the offense time after time. He didn't help himself, though, as he lost the ball on numerous drives and committed eight turnovers.

Defensively, he did a great job on the boards (notching a playoff career-high) but his shot-blocking impact was deterred by the Nets' five-out plans. Once they weren't able to bomb away, he locked down the paint time after time.

James Harden: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 3-13 FG shooting

Harden scored a layup on an isolation layup with Nic Claxton very early on in the game. His performance wasn't nearly as inspiring as that single move was, though. His defense was brutal, he shot poorly and he was a turnover machine, committing five. He came through with some big plays in the second half but still, this was the Playoff Harden that NBA fans empty their slander and memes for.

Tyrese Maxey: 33 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 13-22 FG shooting

Maxey's defense was impressive — especially on the ball — and he scored very efficiently in the first half, using the space from Embiid's gravity well. His shooting from deep (6-13) and at the bucket bailed out a brutal offensive performance, as did his ability to serve as a safety valve in transition.

Tobias Harris: 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-14 FG shooting 

Harris filled all the gaps the Sixers needed him to for a second straight game. He made the shots he needed to, collected some big rebounds on offense and played great defense in the second-half zone.

Nets player notes:

Mikal Bridges: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4-12 FG shooting

Bridges' mid-range-shooting bonanza was cut to just one half in Game 1, partly leading to the Nets' downfall. This time around, he showed he could find the advantage when he drew multiple defenders by swinging passes all around. He had an inverse of his first game: strong playmaking, inefficient scoring. A big chunk of his points came from the foul line.

Cam Johnson: 28 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 11-19 FG shooting

Johnson was ON ONE tonight. He hit threes but also pulled up into the mid-range when the defense over-pursued. To put an exclamation point on his scintillating first half — in which he secured a new playoff career-high — he yammed on Embiid. But like Bridges in Game 1, he fell off in the second half.

Game recap:

1st half

The Nets kept throwing bodies at Embiid, who responded by hunting mismatches in the post. Brooklyn switched Claxton onto the perimeter but the Sixers couldn't take advantage of it. The Nets pushed the pace, which they looked to do in the first game, and hit three of their first six triples to take an early lead. Bridges knew what was up with the Sixers' defense and looked to make plays early on, assisting two of those triples.

Bridges also started the game guarding Harden instead of Dorian Finney-Smith. On the other side, the Sixers had Tobias Harris on Bridges and Maxey on Spencer Dinwiddie again. As Brooklyn brought its double teams further to the perimeter, Maxey used the space to score seven straight points. Embiid also brought the ball up on a number of possessions, getting Philly its first lead of the night on a fast-break kick-out for a De'Anthony Melton triple. He also collected nine boards in the opening frame.

Rather than going to Day'Ron Sharpe at the backup five spot, the Nets went with Finney-Smith to back up Claxton with Embiid in the game. The stretched floor allowed them to get up good looks with the Sixers keeping Embiid in drop coverage and Georges Niang struggling to cover the open space on the wing. The Nets kept going at him and he did an okay job keeping the ball in front.

The Harden-Reed pick-and-roll connecting on a pair of buckets led to some early “Bball Paul!” chants. But the Nets were working the Sixers defense hard, exposing Harden's weakness as an off-ball defender by keeping Johnson involved. The less-heralded former Phoenix Suns forward shot the air out of the ball.

Later in the second quarter, Brooklyn went smaller by subbing out Finney-Smith in favor of Joe Harris, leaving Royce O'Neale on Embiid. The aggressive defense from O'Neale (and whoever switched onto Embiid) flummoxed the Sixers. The Nets went up by 10 as the Philly missed shot after shot, leading to some boos from the Wells Fargo Center crowd.

The Sixers chipped away at the deficit and trailed 49-44 at the half.

2nd half

Doc Rivers called a timeout 61 seconds into the half after Embiid threw up an off-balance shot and Dinwiddie dusted Harden for a layup. Jacque Vaughn called a timeout 40 seconds later after a Maxey second-chance triple and Harris breakaway steal-and-slam. The Sixers put themselves ahead as Harris made plays from the dunker spot — scoring inside but also dishing to Maxey in the corner.

The Sixers opened up the half in a zone defense. They pressured the ball up top and funneled drivers toward Embiid. Although Brooklyn found room to fire away from deep, ball pressure in the middle was harder to come by. With some newfound life on offense aided by a clean Harden-catch-and-shoot three and more P.J. Tucker offensive boards, the Sixers went up by eight.

The Nets fought back, keeping their defense locked in on denying Embiid the ball inside.  He did get the space to go (mostly) one-on-one close to the hoop but came away with just one bucket and two turnovers. The scoreboard read 68-63 at the end of three quarters. Oldheads, rejoice.

Reed helped keep the Sixers ahead by fighting on the boards. A stepback three from Harden put them up by six. The Nets' offense lost its mojo in the fourth quarter, coming up empty on many open looks and getting stifled by Reed on a few plays.

After a minutes-long trip to the locker room that started in the inter-quarter break, Embiid hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to nine. Rivers closed with his starters and Jalen McDaniels in Tucker's place. A Maxey triple made it 10 after free throws from Seth Curry. The Nets offense fizzled as its three-point shooting cooled off big-time.

Embiid got two shots to score in isolation and came through with a two-handed slam and turn-around jumper (the first jump shot he took all night aside from a single attempt from deep). He fed Maxey on a corner three and hit some free throws to help seal the deal.

Random thoughts:

  • The Sixers' inability to make an entry pass to Embiid continues to haunt them. Embiid found himself down low against a guard repeatedly and couldn't get the rock in a timely fashion.
  • The arena went to “Just Wanna Rock” as the Sixers made their run in the third quarter. Fantastic job capitalizing on the energy of the crowd.

The Sixers-Nets series now turns to Brooklyn, starting with Game 3 on Thursday.