Joel, Sixers KO Nets
BRETT Brown sensed another mood swing building from his young 76ers team prone to mistakes, some of which were exposed during a four-game road trip.
The coach then called for a pair of timeouts during a key 31/2-minute stretch midway through the third quarter, quelling any worries from his Sixers, who are bound for the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Joel Embiid scored 21 points, Robert Covington added 19, and the 76ers went on to rout the Nets, 120-97, on Sunday night.
“I think we’re learning,” Brown said. “I feel these games, as much as we want to win and we do, we’re trying to move up the food chain, we’re trying to move up as far as we can.”
Dario Saric scored 18 points and Ben Simmons notched 11 points, six assists and six rebounds for the 76ers, who avenged a disappointing loss to the Nets at Barclays Center in January. Philadelphia closed out its road trip at 2-2. D’Angelo Russell scored 26 points for the Nets, who have lost 13 of their last 15 games.
“I just feel like we’ve got to treat every team like Golden State. When we came out ready to play, everybody stepped up,” Russell said. “It wasn’t 48 minutes, but we started the game and gave ourselves a chance. I feel like today we didn’t really give ourselves a chance.”
Philadelphia led by as many as 19 in the first half before the Nets cut it to six on consecutive baskets by Russell in the third quarter. Brown then called time and the 76ers responded with a 6-0 run and two key steals to go up 80-68 with 6:40 left in the period. A 3-pointer by Brooklyn’s Allen Crabbe cut the lead to 86-77 and forced Brown to take another timeout with 4:45 to go.
Something then clicked, although both teams traded baskets. With a strong contingent of fans that started a chant for the Super Bowl champion Eagles, it was as close at the Nets would get.