‘Soft’ Sixers put up a dud vs. Nets
NEW YORK >> Nearly half the fourth quarter remained when 76ers coach Brett Brown pulled Joel Embiid from the game.
Embiid wasn’t helping, anyway. In the sloppiest performance in the NBA this season, Philadelphia threw the ball just about everywhere except to its All- Star center.
D’Angelo Russell snapped out of a slump with 13 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Brooklyn Nets kept the
76ers winless on the road with a 122-97 victory Sunday night.
The 76ers committed 28 turnovers, most in the NBA this season, leading to 39 points for the Nets.
“That is not who we are,” Brown said. “And I give credit to Brooklyn, but that is an unacceptable performance.”
Brown added that the
76ers weren’t currently among the elite in the Eastern Conference, and his players didn’t argue after they fell to 0-5 away from home. They are 6-0 in Philadelphia.
“We’ve been playing soft,” said guard Ben Simmons, adding an expletive to describe the team’s play.
Chester grad Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also scored
21 points, and Caris LeVert had 20 for the Nets. They took a small lead into halftime thanks to 17 Philadelphia turnovers, then blew it open with a 41-point third quarter that was one of the biggest in Barclays Center history.
They kept pouring it on in the fourth and Brown removed Embiid and Simmons facing a 24-point deficit.
“I would say turning the ball over a lot of the time is being lackadaisical or trying to force something that isn’t there,” Russell said. “I think everybody was aggressive tonight, 1 through 5.”
Embiid finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds but got only eight shots a day after going for 39 points and 17 rebounds in a victory over Detroit. Simmons had 20 points and 12 boards.
“It’s not Golden State. We shouldn’t lose a game to Brooklyn by that many points,” Embiid said. “We didn’t compete.”
Russell was only 4 for 12 for eight points in the first half, a game after the former No. 2 pick sat the entire fourth quarter in the Nets’ loss to Houston after going
5 for 14.
But he had nine points in the third and he was only on the bench as the final minutes ticked down this time because there was no crunch time.
Joe Harris snapped a 61all tie with a 3-pointer, Russell scored five straight and Harris made another 3 to make it 72-61. JJ Redick scored to end that drought but it didn’t change the momentum, as the Nets scored
15 of the next 21 points to open an 87-69 lead.
The 76ers limited the Nets to 5-of-28 shooting in the first quarter but led only 21-18 in part because of their 10 turnovers. Philadelphia coughed it up seven more times in the second and the Nets led 51-47 at halftime.
TIP-INS
76ERS >> Wilson Chandler rested a day after making his 76ers debut following a strained left hamstring by playing 10 minutes . ... Philadelphia had a three-game winning streak against Brooklyn snapped.
NETS >> Brooklyn improved to 9-4 against Philadelphia at Barclays Center, tied for the most victories against any opponent since moving from New Jersey. The Nets have also beaten Orlando nine times . ... Jarrett Allen had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
SHOOTING STREAK
Harris made a 3-pointer in his 25th straight game, moving into sole possession of fourth place on the Nets’ career list. Joe Johnson hit at least one in 37 in a row in 2014.
FAMILIAR FACES
The Nets have used the same starting five (LeVert, Russell, Harris, Jared Dudley and Allen) for each of the first 10 games of the season. The last time they did that was in the 2002-03 season, when Jason Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin and Dikembe Mutombo started the first 16 in a row.
BIG THREE
The 41-point third quarter was one off the Nets’ high in Barclays Center, which opened in 2012. They had a 42-point third against Golden State last season and against the 76ers on Dec. 16, 2013.
UP NEXT
76ERS >> Visit Chicago on Wednesday.
NETS >> Visit Phoenix on Tuesday.