76ers’ Embiid just about everywhere
He helps send Nets home in a 2-0 hole
Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris had 20 apiece, and the 76ers beat the Nets, 96-84, at Philadelphia Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
Embiid, the two-time NBA scoring champion, was quiet offensively, going 6 of 11 from the floor, but he did just about everything else. The MVP finalist had 19 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks.
Harris had 12 rebounds. James Harden scored only 8 points on 3-of-13 shooting for the Sixers after a sensational Game 1 effort.
Game 3 is Thursday in New York. Cam Johnson led the Nets with 28 points. Johnson sent Embiid stumbling on a one-handed dunk down the right side that posterized the 7-footer. Johnson stared down Embiid as the Nets forward backpedaled on defense in the first half.
That was Brooklyn’s last GIF-worthy highlight.
Maybe the 76ers just needed to listen to their coach more as they chase their first NBA championship since 1983.
After Brooklyn scored the first bucket of the second half, Doc Rivers called a quick timeout.
“C’mon, guys! C’mon!” Rivers implored in the huddle. “Listen, it’s up to y’all what you all want to do.”
Maxey, who kept the Sixers alive with 15 points in the first half, was stuffed by the rim on a fast break but Harris followed for the bucket and the 76ers finally tied the game at 55-all. Maxey didn’t miss on the next possession — a corner 3-pointer that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Then PJ Tucker missed a three, grabbed his own rebound, dished to Harden and the Beard buried his first three of the game. Harris came right back and connected on a three that had him hopping and waving his arms off the court headed into a timeout.
Embiid pumped his fist in the air and exhorted the crowd to get louder with a 64-56 lead.
The Sixers needed the spark after they spiraled from Game 1 dominance to Game 2 disaster in the first half.
No Sixer represented that fall more than Harden. His seven 3-pointers steadied the Sixers in the opener but the aging vet — who battled left Achilles’ tendon soreness down the stretch of the regular season — was overwhelmed in Game 2. He missed 6 of 7 shots in the first half and all four 3-point attempts. Throw in two fouls and five turnovers and it was a marvel the Sixers only trailed, 49-44, at the break.
That had to distress the Nets. Johnson scored 22 points in the half but — much like in Game 1 — the Nets got crushed on the boards and in the paint. Embiid scored 8 points but grabbed 15 boards, 13 defensive.
Embiid seemed to make up for some offensive frustration with a two-handed jam late in the game that brought the crowd to its feet.
Murray, Nuggets pounced
Jamal Murray overcame some early jitters to have 24 points and eight assists in his first playoff game since the 2020 NBA bubble as the top-seeded Nuggets routed the Timberwolves, 109-80, at Denver Sunday night.
“Murray was Murray,” Wolves point guard Chris Conley said. “He’s one of the better scorers, playmakers, from our position.”
Michael Porter Jr., who scored 18 points in his first playoff game since missing last year’s run with a bad back, said Murray used his time off after blowing out his left knee in 2021 to improve his basketball IQ.
“I told him the other day I feel like he’s better now than before the injury,” Porter said. “I know he probably doesn’t feel it, but just his overall game, his awareness, he had like a year off where he had to just watch.”
Porter scored 18 points and Nikola Jokic added 13 points, 14 rebounds, and a half-dozen assists in 28 minutes as Denver snapped a five-game skid in playoff openers — and became the only higher seed to win on its homecourt Sunday.
Both Porter and Murray started off slow offensively, so they turned up their defense, diving for loose balls and crashing the glass until they found their shooting touch.
“That was the game right there,” Murray said. “It wasn’t even offense. I think Mike and I struggled early and we were still playing defense. We were running the floor playing defense, boxing out, playing physical. Everybody made an impact.”
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 18 points. Karl-Anthony Towns, who was rounding into form this month after missing 52 games with a bad calf, missed 10 of his first 12 shots and finished with 11 points.
“It’s the NBA. It’s not forgiving. Just things happen,” Towns said. “They did a great job, give them credit. They had a long week preparing for us and they got ready and you could tell on the court they knew our plays and knew what they’re doing.
“So we’ve just got to come back ready for Game 2. It’s a series — just move on, flush it and get ready.”