The Philadelphia 76ers (10-3) completed their quick road trip with an afternoon matchup with the Brooklyn Nets (6-7). The Sixers rode a dominant second half to victory with a final score of 121-99.

Let’s break down the Sixers' win over the Nets.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 32 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 11-24 FG shooting

Following a great game on Friday, Embiid got right to work against the Nets and Nic Claxton, a staunch defender with whom he has squabbled in the past. Although he misfired on a lot of looks he usually makes, he did everything else very well for the Sixers. He brought out some more flashy passes and did a great job taking care of the ball, though that also partly speaks to how underwhelming this Nets defense is despite the impressive defenders they boast.

Tyrese Maxey: 25 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 8-20 FG shooting

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was very complimentary of Maxey in his pre-game media availability, saying that he “exudes a joy about him that I love watching.”

Maxey stayed aggressive in attacking the Nets defense. He wasn’t at his most efficient as a scorer in the first half but did have one of the best playmaking displays of his season to date. His speed put immediate downhill pressure on Brooklyn, leading a collage of drive-and-kick feeds. The three-ball — and tough looks, at that — propelled Maxey's efficiency in the second half.

Nets player notes:

Mikal Bridges: 18 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 8-12 FG shooting

Perhaps the biggest Phillies fan in the building this afternoon, Bridges partnered aggressive cuts and drives to the hoop with his feathery jumper. He was much quieter in the second half, though, scoring just two points in the final two quarters.

Game recap:

1st half

Old friend Ben Simmons was inactive for this game due to another nerve issue. Brooklyn was also without bucket-getting aficionado Cam Thomas, while the Sixers got Nicolas Batum back into the starting lineup after he missed the last three games due to a personal matter.

Batum took on the Bridges assignment while De'Anthony Melton guarded Spencer Dinwiddie. The Sixers raced out to a nine-point lead as they started the game shooting well, highlighted by a pair of Earl triples from Melton. The Nets, meanwhile, went 1-7 to start off. Royce O'Neale's quick and on defense, Bridges cutting backdoor and a strong slam in transition from Lonnie Walker IV helped Brooklyn get back into it.

Jaden Springer saw action in the first quarter as the last bench sub around Embiid. Nurse seemed to extend Melton's minutes by a little, substituting him out really late in the opening period. He was stellar defensively and was shooting the ball well, so it made sense. Robert Covington, Patrick Beverley and Danuel House Jr. rounded out the lineup.

Harris and Maxey connected on tough looks while Claxton displayed his post-scoring bag on Paul Reed. Marcus Morris Sr. got some minutes early in the second quarter after House was charged with a pair of fouls. Although Maxey took control of the Sixers' second-unit offense, he couldn’t get his shots to fall. He did help his teammates get theirs to go, though, as his quickness unlocked numerous targets to pass to on the perimeter.

Embiid returned to the game with over seven minutes left in the half and Melton followed him soon after. He got some great looks from the mid-range out of the pick-and-roll with Maxey but didn’t convert at his usually impressive clip. Maxey found his guys open on the weak side as he and Embiid did their dance on the left side of the floor.

Once Embiid started to get a few shots to go and drew a few shooting fouls, Philly started to pull away again with a 15-0 run. Melton offset some colder-than-usual shooting from the Sixers' stars by making all three of his first shots in the paint, which included some contested looks. Getting a nice feed from Embiid like this doesn’t hurt, either.

The Sixers, thanks to their offense heating up and a 2-3 zone that the Nets struggled to find answers for, got out to a 61-49 lead at halftime.

2nd half

One constant throughout the first half for the Sixers was getting deflections. Melton got it going again in the second half, resulting in a shooting foul as Cam Johnson tried to stop him. Maxey got going with some off-the-dribble triples as Philly got out running in the fast break. The Sixers went up by 19 with a 14-2 run.

Embiid and Maxey's synergy can already go head-to-head with almost any other star duo in the NBA. Sure, they've played together for years but this is Maxey's first time playing with expectations to be his co-star. The way they leverage the defensive attention that the other gets is pristine and because they can each score from all three levels, Nick Nurse can use them in so many different sets. When Maxey feeds Embiid in the post and dashes behind him as a screen and sinks a triple that he shoots on the move, what more can defenses do?

Springer spent some time guarding Bridges, including at the end of the third quarter, and scored on a nice spin move in transition. The Sixers continued pushing the pace as the Nets scrambled for options. Philly took such great care of the ball that it took them until its final offensive possession of the third quarter to record its second turnover. It was Embiid who committed it, which ended up being a brutal way to end his last chance to record a triple-double. He sat the entire fourth quarter after constructing a massive lead.

The Sixers led by 23 points entering the final period. Springer continued to hound Bridges, not letting any screen get in his way. Although Phily's offense to start the fourth quarter wasn’t great, neither was that of the Nets. Some Springer triples here, some nice blocks from Reed there and Philly stayed far ahead on the scoreboard before each coach went down their depth charts to close it out.

Random rumblings:

  • The Nets' City Edition get-up is quite interesting. While I can’t exactly say I fully like it, I respect them for always trying to be different with their alternate jerseys. The court and intro video set to “Made You Look” by Nas, at least, were pretty dope.

The Sixers will play their final Group Play game for the NBA In-Season Tournament at home on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.