Sixers Roar Back in Second Half to Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Brooklyn Nets

3 observations after Sixers make third-quarter surge, take 2-0 lead over Nets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers didn't need their A-game Monday to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series against the Nets.

Despite a rough first-showing showing and a 3-for-13 shooting night by James Harden, the Sixers earned a 96-84 Game 2 win over the Nets at Wells Fargo Center. 

The Sixers turned the night around with a massive run in the third quarter. Tyrese Maxey led them with 33 points. 

Joel Embiid had 20 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists. Tobias Harris posted 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Cameron Johnson was Brooklyn's top scorer with 28 points.

Game 3 will be Thursday night in Brooklyn. Here are observations on the Sixers' Game 2 victory:

Nets raise their game 

Offensive success did not come as easily or immediately for the Sixers as in their blowout Game 1 win. 

On a positive note, Harris scored five early points in transition and Harden drove past Nic Claxton before converting a layup. However, the Sixers’ passing was not as crisp as it had been Saturday afternoon, and the team opened 0 for 5 from three-point range the game after a 21-for-43 performance. Understandably, hard double teams were still central to the Nets’ defensive approach against Embiid, but Brooklyn varied the timing of its help defense more instead of throwing two defenders at Embiid right away on every single catch. That forced the Sixers to probe later in the shot clock for good looks. 

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn also got the increased physicality he desired from his club, which helped ensure Brooklyn did not again fall into a quick, deep possession disadvantage. The Nets were more poised in their attempts to accelerate the pace, too, committing just one first-quarter turnover. 

The Sixers remained set on Mikal Bridges (21 points, seven assists) seeing a crowd of defenders and bringing Embiid out to the perimeter on pick-and-rolls involving the Villanova product. Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith each sunk two threes in the first quarter. That duo combined to post 18 of Brooklyn’s 25 points in the period. Still, despite their  improved effort from Game 1, the Nets were even with the Sixers after the first. 

Harden struggles, Johnson steps up, and Nets trim rotation 

Defensively, the Sixers’ second unit had a nice start. 

De’Anthony Melton tallied one block late in the first quarter and another early in the second. Jalen McDaniels’ three first-half fouls were a negative, but he, Melton and Paul Reed mostly did well with scrambling around, covering ground quickly, and showcasing their ability to handle players of all sizes. Reed also scored twice inside off of Harden feeds. 

The Sixers' offense had a difficult time in the Embiid-less minutes to begin the second quarter, though. The Harden-centric possessions that dwindled to the end of the shot clock were not nearly as sweet as in Game 1. Harden wasn’t sharp at all in isolation (or in general) and committed five first-half turnovers. He picked his second foul up with 7:36 left in the second when he was called for a push-off on Bridges. A couple of minutes later, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers subbed Danuel House Jr. in for Harden, who entered intermission with just two points on 1-for-7 shooting. 

The Nets left some points on the table in the second quarter, including two consecutive missed free throws by Bridges with 23 seconds to go. They still held a deserved halftime lead, and it felt fortunate for the Sixers that the team only trailed by five points. Vaughn removed backup center Day’Ron Sharpe from his rotation, trimming Brooklyn’s bench to three players. Royce O’Neale and Finney-Smith gave laudable efforts against Embiid. Collectively, the Nets were very good in the first half at playing physical, handsy defense without ceding many foul shots. Harden took no free throws for a second consecutive game.

Johnson surprisingly seized the No. 1 scoring role and displayed how his game has grown to include far more than catch-and-shoot jumpers. He threw a huge dunk in over Embiid late in the second period for two of his 22 first-half points. Meanwhile, Maxey (15 points on 6-for-8 shooting) was the most efficient and productive Sixer in the first half. 

Keys to Sixers' pivotal surge

Rivers’ halftime messaging did not have the desired impact. Just one minute and one second into the third quarter, he called timeout following a Spencer Dinwiddie layup.

He was much more pleased with his team’s response after that break. Maxey nailed a second-chance corner three set up by P.J. Tucker, Harris turned a steal into a fast-break slam, and Vaughn asked for a Brooklyn timeout just 40 seconds after Rivers. 

An aggressive Harris, zone defense, and greater determination about finding Embiid in the middle of the floor and capitalizing on the double teams he drew all featured in a 20-5 Sixers run that lifted the team to a 64-56 lead. The Sixers’ pace and energy surged, too. Tucker created six second-chance points on his own during the run and the Sixers finished with another massive advantage in that category -- 18-0. 

Off-ball spacing is always fluid against a scrambling opponent like the Nets. With that said, Tucker in the corner and Harris in the dunker spot certainly seemed quite sensible. Tucker declined a jumper on one play and instead found Harris inside for a dunk. The 37-year-old made a similar dish shortly after and Harris then assisted a wide-open Maxey three in the opposite corner. 

The Sixers played the first five minutes and change of the fourth quarter without Embiid and ultimately managed to maintain a five-point lead. While the Sixers focused on generating favorable switches against weaker defenders like Seth Curry, they often ended up struggling to create any major advantages and took tough jumpers. Harden made one of them, draining a step-back three to put the team up 74-68. Reed made one costly mistake with a turnover in the backcourt that led to a Curry three, but he fought for extra possessions and converted a put-back layup. 

The Sixers' zone (with McDaniels closing over Tucker) continued to trouble the Nets in the fourth. Embiid's individual defense was also tremendous late, including on a play where he tightly contested a driving Diwniddie miss and then gave the veteran guard a WWE-style stare-down. Two possessions later, Embiid volleyball spiked a Johnson layup. 

He saved his best offensive moments for the final minutes, too. Embiid drove by O'Neale before throwing down a big dunk, drilled a fadeaway jumper, and assisted a Maxey corner three to close the Sixers' second straight home win in considerable style.