3 observations after Sixers finish road trip on high note by dominating Nets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
NEW YORK — The Sixers decisively flipped back to winning ways Saturday night.
They earned a 123-94 victory over the Nets to avoid a three-game losing streak, finish a 4-2 road trip and improve to 14-19 overall.
Joel Embiid posted 28 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes.
Tyrese Maxey recorded 18 points and seven assists. Paul George and Caleb Martin each scored 17 points.
Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus surgery), KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (left foot sprain) were out. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Oubre’s injury is a “day-to-day” matter. The 29-year-old wing worked out on the Barclays Center floor before the game.
The 13-22 Nets’ long list of players sidelined by injuries included Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Ben Simmons. D’Angelo Russell was ruled out at halftime because of a right shin contusion.
The Sixers will return to Philadelphia and host the Suns on Monday night. Here are observations on their win Saturday in Brooklyn:
Embiid seizes command in 1st quarter
The Sixers tweaked their starting lineup, sliding Kyle Lowry to the bench and opening with Guerschon Yabusele.
They still fell behind out of the gates for a third consecutive game. Russell strolled into a three-pointer off the opening tip and Brooklyn rattled off an 11-0 run right away. Nurse let his team keep playing and the Sixers pushed back with a 9-0 spurt that featured threes from George and Caleb Martin.
Embiid received a technical foul less than four minutes into the night from crew chief Kevin Cutler. After the whistle had already blown for a jump ball between Embiid and Keon Johnson, the All-Star big man refused to let go of the ball.
Soon, Embiid took complete control of the game in forceful fashion. He played the entire first quarter alongside George and posed constant problems for the Nets, lifting the Sixers to a double-digit lead.
Embiid pulled down seven rebounds in the first period and scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. He gave the basket stanchion a celebratory smack after driving in for a dunk.
“He’s so good offensively and dominant on the defensive end as well,” George said of Embiid. “And he loves to compete. … It’s fun. He’s the best player out there, and him having that competitive edge and those competitive juices flowing, it just runs through the team.”