Finally, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons faced off at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.
Embiid’s Sixers overcame Simmons’ Nets in a chaotic, attacking affair, extending their winning streak to six games and improving to 31-16 with a 137-133 win.
Embiid, who was questionable going into the game with a pain in his left foot, had 26 points in 6-for-18 shooting and 10 rebounds. He appeared to struggle physically on several occasions.
Simmons had 12 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points and James Harden added 23.
Seth Curry (32 points) and Kyrie Irving (30 points) were the Nets’ top scorers. Nic Claxton had 25 points in 11-for-12 shooting and 11 boards.
Brooklyn star Kevin Durant is out with an MCL sprain in his right knee. Furkan Korkmaz (right shoulder pain) and Jaden Springer (non-COVID illness) have been sidelined for the Sixers, who have now won 19 of their last 23 games.
The Sixers play the Nuggets in Philadelphia on Saturday. Here are observations on her win over Brooklyn:
Embiid, Simmons in the middle of a rotten start
The crowd let out a justified roar as they saw Simmons switch to Embiid about a minute into the game. Embiid missed a leaner and subsequent tip-in attempt, but PJ Tucker scrapped after an offensive rebound and was fouled.
The Sixers (and home fans) continued to like the look of this matchup. Fouls became an early problem for Brooklyn, too. Embiid sealed Simmons in the paint and called out a foul at the 9:07 mark of the first quarter. Brooklyn head coach Jacques Vaughn expressed his displeasure that his team was called out for the night’s first four fouls and was ruled technical.
Simmons attempted to disrupt Harden about 35 feet from the basket but was called for his second foul at 5:20 in the first. The 26-year-old had minimal impact in his first run. Simmons was on the sidelines in Brooklyn’s half-court offense and the Sixers allowed the Nets few real fastbreak chances. His only shot of the first half was a close-range right hook with about 4:30 left in the second quarter. He kept it short and Embiid hit inside for the ensuing possession.
Irving actually forced the Sixers’ first turnover, intercepting a Harden entry pass to Embiid and then assisting a three-pointer by Joe Harris in the transition. The seven-time All-Star was the center of the Nets’ very efficient offense. Brooklyn started 9-for-10 from the floor and caught up from an early nine-point deficit when Curry sunk a corner three on his first possession.
During a physical, strange and goal-scoring first period, officials often took the spotlight. The Sixers made all 13 of their free throws in the first quarter while the Nets went 9 to 12. Harden got an odd, hard technique when he threw the ball into the basket support after a Claxton foul. Embiid and Claxton didn’t seem to start the evening particularly friendly, with both catching technical fouls late in the first round. The stoppage-filled quarter ended with no difference between teams – 41 – all after 12 minutes.
Maxey gives the bench press a big boost
Using Maxey again off the bench helped the Sixers avoid a steep offensive drop while Embiid and Harden sat.
Shake Milton also played an integral part in the Sixers’ success late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter with an all-bank lineup. Milton took turns attacking, running regularly into the paint and making it clear that Maxey wasn’t the Sixers’ only real threat in the second session. He even caught an offensive board before setting up a Maxey triple that fell after an extremely generous bounce.
Maxey then shook Edmond Sumner and made room for another three, giving the Sixers a 59-52 lead. That shot earned him 16 points in 6-for-8 shooting in just 10 minutes of play. If you’re looking for instant offense, he’s a great candidate for it. Curry is obviously pretty strong as an off-the-bench goalscorer too. He shot seven three-pointers in the first half and made five of them. A couple of those looks were unforgivably open, but Curry also pulled a three-pointer through a Maxey foul, searing Tobias Harris with his pump fake before dumping another.
Matisse Thybulle gave the Sixers some good possessions against Irving, hitting a wide-open three-pointer. While his natural, playing style doesn’t lend itself to pristine basketball, Thybulle’s idea as a player who could help in the playoffs stems from playing disruptive, high-level defense against opposing stars. He checked that box on Wednesday while posting 10 points in his 12 minutes.
Sixers squeak by in the shootout
The Sixers started the third quarter unfocused. Harden plowed Simmons for an offensive foul and Embiid was called for two quick fouls on Claxton.
Of course, since Embiid is Embiid, he also inflicted three fouls on Claxton early in the third and helped keep the Sixers’ offense from losing serious steam. However, Claxton played an impressive game at both ends of the floor despite not being in Embiid’s league physically.
However, there was little to like for the Nets defensively over three-quarters. They turned to a zone early in the third quarter, which was appropriate given the Sixers’ good switch chase. De’Anthony Melton (19 points, three blocks) drove to the center and converted a smooth finger roll. On the Sixers’ next possession, Harden found Tobias Harris at the high post and he jumped slightly. Regardless of the pattern, the Sixers seemed able to exploit weak spots or cheap matchups on almost any possession.
They also took a lot of hard shots. Harden extended the Sixers’ lead to 15 points as he assessed Claxton and drilled a contested step-back jumper. Embiid pulled out his emphatic, hip-hugging, professional wrestling-inspired celebration after an and-one layup.
As for Simmons, he increased his offensive aggression in the third quarter by hitting a right hook and two free throws. Prior to Wednesday, Simmons had played 23 to 53 (43.4 percent) at the foul line this season. He went 2 for 3 in the game before sitting out the finals 8:57.
The Sixers’ bench couldn’t repeat their performance from the first half. Thybulle and Milton missed the 3rd corner against the Brooklyn zone, and a long-reach jumper by Yuta Watanabe reduced the Nets’ lead to 102-94. Thybulle had an important reply, however, and made another open three. He also struck in a dunk after cutting along the baseline and catching a Maxey lob.
While Embiid watched on the bench, Georges Niang created a bit of drama with Simmons. After Simmons was asked to travel under tight defense from Niang, the sharp-shooting Sixers forward caught Simmons in the face, provoking a push back that officials deemed technically worthy.
While that moment likely felt like a personal win for Niang, the Nets continued to score at high odds, cutting the Sixers’ lead to six points to a Markieff Morris jumper over Harden. Tobias Harris allayed momentary concerns by scoring five straight points (a hard jumper and a layup) against Watanabe and Maxey sinking a three… but Brooklyn then responded with an 8-0 run of their own. Stops were generally sparse for both teams.
The Sixers aided the Nets’ comeback efforts by having frequent defensive breakdowns and deliberately going offensive. Brooklyn’s zone didn’t upset the Sixers deeply, but it did help the team rely on jumpers and play at an unnecessarily slowed pace. Curry’s seventh three-pointer erased a Nets deficit of up to 17 points and tied the competition at 120 points. Harden then went on a catch-and-shoot look and was called out for travel. The Sixers seemed on the brink of collapse.
At this point, the game essentially became a shootout. Harden hit back-to-back threes, Irving hit a spectacular late layup, and offense continued to dominate the night. The Sixers eventually clinched the win thanks to a few plays that had nothing to do with shotmaking. Harris played a strong isolation defense on Curry to force an air ball, then ran hard across the floor and scored in the transition, tapping in his own miss. Melton grabbed a clutch offensive board before pushing the ball out to Maxey for a three-pointer that put the Sixers 131-124 ahead.
Although the Nets shot 64.5 percent from the ground and 53.8 percent from three-point range, the Sixers emerged victorious.