theto NBA Opened on Saturday 2023 Playoffs A clear victory for some Philadelphia Seventy Sixers Scorching trio in front Brooklyn Networks In the first round of the Eastern Conference (121-101). The third in the East after the Almighty Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celticsthe Sixers subdued the net (hexagon) without major problems thanks to A.J Awful 21 of 43 in three overs.

Those 21 triples set a new record In a playoff game for the Philadelphia team. Having beaten them in all four regular season meetings this year, jackets They found some nets who They applied the constant two-on-one for Joel Embiid. This defensive scheme had no effect because, in addition to their success from the perimeter, the locals shared the ball with them Commendable generosity (32 assists for 42 baskets the total).

Harden, better than the Sixers

James Harden was the best with 23 points (awesome 7-of-13 on 3-pointers) and 13 assists, embodiment I finally managed with 26 points And Tobias Harris added 21 points As an example of the great collective contribution of the entire team. In the net Mikal Bridges was the offensive benchmark with 30 points But Jack Vaughn’s group weighed heavily on their shoulders 20 turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds Awarded to the Sixers.

After talking about it a lot Traded Harden in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond In February 2022, a playoff between Philadelphia and Brooklyn He imagined himself a tie full of spice and pending accounts. However, a lot has changed on the net: Kevin Durant He went to Phoenix Suns to dream about the ring, Kyrie Irving went to Dallas Mavericks To end up colliding and injured Simmons neither nor expected.

A killer combination of Harden and Embiid

hardened Yes, he’s found a title contender in the Sixers, especially On the hands of an exceptional Embiid Which appears in some pools as the favorite to win the best player. In any case, Neither Embiid nor Harden had a very inspiring start on Saturday against the NetsSo much so that they closed The first quarter, a difference of only 11 points (2 of 7 shots for the bearded guard and 2 of 5 attempts for the middle, from From the start it struggled two to one practically every time he touches the ball).

with New York’s defense was fully focused on shutting down EmbiidLike the players, the six players knew how to move the ball cleverly Harris They did their duty and closed the net for the first 12 minutes Despite 11 points of very active bridges (30-25).

Those who Doc Rivers Solve the “trap” on Embiid with Collective spirit and altruism in handling the ball and everyone’s contribution their players. Even by the time 1st home stretch (40-31 with 9.36 on the clock) They have already registered 9 out of 10 players who took to the field for Philadelphia.

Bridges and curry are not enough for networks

curry He came off the bench successfully and Bridges Came to me 23 points in a great first halfbut the six landed in relief forward (67-58) Thanks a hardened Excellent in the second quarter with 4 out of 5 in triple. Base prowess on the perimeter prompted an impressive first inning for the Six out with a fantastic 13 of 21 tries from three.

embodiment He was the main protagonist after the break. related 10 points In the third quarter he received a blow in the face (without consequences) from Dorian Finney Smith And he faced Royce O’Neill After a fatal error (the incident ended with a double technique).

Take off from the triple gear and the other

For the rest, the game script has not changed, however Sixers are comfortable with a rank of about ten points And they continued to shine from the trio before the final quarter (93-81). They just needed to put in one more gear, With a 5-0 start in the final quarter, the Sixers extended their lead to +17 With just nine minutes remaining the Nets quickly gave up.