The Brooklyn Nets shocked the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series over the weekend, and Sixers star Ben Simmons knows his team must make some adjustments in order to turn things around:
“I think we just got to move the ball more, offensively. Defensively, switch up a few things in terms of coverage.”
#Sixers PG Ben Simmons on adjustments the team needs to make: pic.twitter.com/9m7ErR4oae
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) April 14, 2019
Outside of Jimmy Butler's scoring exploits (36 points), Philly never got into a rhythm offensively. Joel Embiid put up a big stat line of 22 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and four assists, but he labored a bit as he battled through his nagging knee injury. He shot just 5-of-15 from the field and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
Ben Simmons, meanwhile, was a no-show. The 22-year-old only had nine points on 4-of-9 shooting and three assists. He also went a dismal 1-of-5 from the free-throw line. The youngster has had his share of playoff struggles in his young career, and he's going to need to flip the script for the Sixers to avoid an upset. That's especially true with Embiid not fully healthy.
Furthermore, Philly's defense will need to step up. The Sixers have struggled to contain scoring guards all season, and D'Angelo Russell (26 points), Caris LeVert (23 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (18 points) all played well in Game 1.
There's still a long way to go in this series, but Philly's flaws were all noticeable in Saturday's game. Making the necessary adjustments will be important.
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