NBA Game of the Week: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets
On Saturday evening, the Eastern Conference’s third and fifth seeds will match up in Brooklyn.
It’ll be the 76ers and the Nets, as the two squads look to gain ground in the conference as we move closer and closer to playoff basketball.
Both teams could have some new faces by Saturday, as the NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, making this an intriguing matchup alongside some individual rivalries.
What was starting to become a heated rivalry between Philadelphia and Brooklyn may not be quite the same on Saturday though due to the current state of the Nets organization.
Brooklyn Nets
For the Nets, things are really starting to unravel throughout the franchise. After once having Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant on one team, Brooklyn is now left with just Durant.
Irving was sent to Dallas earlier this week after requesting a trade, ending what was an entertaining, yet problematic run in Brooklyn. The Nets received Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and picks in return for the point guard.
Harden requested a trade from the Nets last season, landing in Philadelphia to create a deadly duo with Joel Embiid. The Harden vs. Brooklyn storyline is there for Saturday’s game, as is the second matchup between Embiid and Ben Simmons in their careers after being All-Star teammates for a while.
Simmons, who was on the other side of the Harden-to-Philadelphia trade, has become a giant question mark in the NBA. He is only 26 years old, yet he seems to have completely lost confidence offensively and hasn’t been his DPOY-caliber self defensively.
Simmons is averaging 7.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists this season.
Irving is gone, Simmons hasn’t lived up to his name and Durant is still out with an injury. Brooklyn is in a very strange spot, especially ahead of the trade deadline. They could either go into sell-mode and trade Durant, or retool and try to land an All-Star like Fred VanVleet.
Luckily for Brooklyn, the absence of Irving and Durant has given rookie Cam Thomas a chance to step up lately, as he has had three straight 40-point games.
The Nets are 32-22 on the season. Despite the good record, there are a lot of questions to be answered about this season and the future in Brooklyn.
76ers
Looking at Philadelphia, the team got off to a slow start this season due to injuries but has caught fire since December.
Embiid is still a top-notch MVP candidate with 33.4 points per game, Harden is averaging 10.9 assists with some efficient scoring, and the pieces around them have fit well.
The 76ers are chasing a title behind their star duo. They are currently 34-18, just three games back of the East’s first seed.
When it comes to the trade deadline, Philadelphia likely won’t be doing anything crazy. However, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a new backup center, or forward, for the 76ers by Saturday’s game in Brooklyn.
As mentioned before, Embiid will be taking on Simmons for the second time after an awkward fit on the court and Simmons’ trade request separated the two in Philadelphia.
These two teams met in Philadelphia on January 25, where the 76ers won, 137-133. Durant didn’t play, but Irving was still a Net. He dropped 30 points in the loss.
Embiid was physical against Simmons in that game, and ended up with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Expect to see an entertaining matchup once again between the former teammates on Saturday.
Unless Brooklyn makes a big trade before this game, they likely won’t have enough firepower to hang with Philadelphia, especially with Durant being hurt.
Barring another 40-piece from Thomas, the Sixers will walk away with the win fairly easily.
Prediction: 76ers 112, Nets 96
Daniel Mader is a junior majoring in digital/print journalism. To contact him, email dbm5725@psu.edu.
