The Brooklyn Nets threw everything they could at Joel Emblid, and when the center encountered multiple defenders, he often found other teammates to make plays.
By being able to provide help for Emblid, the Philadelphia 76ers head to Brooklyn, N.Y., seeking a 3-0 lead when the Eastern Conference first-round series continues Thursday night.
The 76ers eye a 3-0 opening-round lead for the third straight year and a seventh straight postseason win over the Nets. If Philadelphia can win Game 3, it can close out the series Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn.
Emblid averaged 24.8 points in four games during the 2019 first-round series against Brooklyn, and through two games in this series, he has averaged 23 points.
He scored 26 when the Sixers opened the series by never trailing in a 121-101 victory Saturday, and then finished with 20 on Monday when Philadelphia pulled away down the stretch for a 96-84 win.
Emblid also helped the Sixers get a commanding 56-33 rebounding edge by grabbing 19 boards, matching his second-highest total in a playoff game and the seventh time in a postseason game he snatched at least 15 boards.
Emblid also finished with seven assists, matching his second-most in a playoff game and it led to the Sixers getting contributions from Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. Maxey scored 18 of his 33 points in the second half and Harris finished with 13 of his 20 after halftime. The duo made a combined 21 of 37 field-goal attempts and seven of Philadelphia’s 3-pointers.
The Nets’ main problem Monday was the inability to get consistent offense going as they hope to stop an eight-game postseason losing streak. The Nets scored 35 points in the second half and shot 37.5 percent overall, their second-lowest field goal percentage all season.
Cameron Johnson scored 28 points, including a big dunk on Emblid in the first half when the Nets took a five-point halftime lead. He scored only six points after halftime, and Mikal Bridges was held to 21 total on 6-of-15 shooting after opening the series with 30 points.
Among those who did not see the shots fall was Spencer Dinwiddie. He is 10-for-26 in the series and 13-for-47 over his past four games, a span where he has missed 16 of 18 3-point tries.
