The Philadelphia 76ers had the perfect response to the Brooklyn Nets’ constant double-teams against Most Valuable Player candidate Joel Embiid.
When the big man passed out of the coverage on Saturday, the Sixers made 3-point shots.
They set a franchise playoff record with 21 treys in a 121-101 win in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference series.
The third-seeded Sixers will host the sixth-seeded Nets in Game 2 of the best-of-seven set on Monday night.
James Harden scored 23 points, dished 13 assists and made 7 of 13 shots from 3-point territory.
The Sixers were 21-for-43 overall from behind the arc.
Embiid still managed to produce a team-best 26 points with 11-for-11 shooting from the free throw line.
If the result is a 20-point win, Embiid is happy to keep passing out of the double team.
The balanced Sixers placed five players in double figures.
The Nets will make adjustments and the Sixers can’t expect to sink 3-pointers every game.
The Nets will look to even the series before heading back to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Thursday.
They hung around for much of the opener, but 20 turnovers ultimately cost them in the end.
Mikal Bridges led the Nets with an impressive 30-point effort in the opener. Cameron Johnson added 18, Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 14 and Seth Curry had 10.
The Nets can score. It’s imperative for them to make good decisions to have a good chance at equalizing.
The Nets gave up 21 second-chance points to the Sixers on Saturday. That number must be lower if the Nets hope for better results.
The Nets have now lost five straight playoff games to the Sixers dating to April 15, 2019.
