
7:30 PM EST, TNT – Line: 76ers -4.5, Over/Under: 235.0

Division rivals, former teammates, and all-around superstars clash tonight in the City of Brotherly Love, as the Brooklyn Nets meet the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in a matchup featuring heavy postseason implications for both teams. Despite entering the campaign as the betting favorite to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Nets (33-33, 8th in Eastern Conference) now find themselves simply trying to dig themselves out of a sizeable hole of their own creation. Easily one of the most discussed and deliberated teams in the National Basketball Association, Brooklyn has been nothing short of fascinating in 2021-2022, with a triumvirate of storylines dominating their body of work thus far. First and foremost, (Head Coach) Steve Nash & Co were forced to do without (All-Star Point Guard) Kyrie Irving (26.2 PTS, 47.7% FG, 40.3% 3FG, 90.8% FT, 4.6 REB, 5.4 AST, 1.2 STL, 21.4 PER), whose vaccination status has been an ongoing saga for the franchise; following a turbulent offseason, Irving missed the first THIRTY-FIVE games of the schedule before returning to the rotation as essentially a part-time player, unable to participate in the team’s home games due to the strict COVID-19 sanctions levied in New York City. The mercurial, yet uber-talented Guard has featured in just SEVENTEEN games thus far, averaging 26.2 points on 47.7% shooting from the field, including 40.3% from beyond the arc, along with 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals, with his team only 6-11 when he starts. Unfortunately, a big reason for that poor record during his return had been the prolonged absence of (All-NBA Forward) Kevin Durant (29.1 PTS, 51.9% FG, 37.2% 3FG, 89.8% FT, 7.2 REB, 5.8 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.9 BLK, 25.4 PER), who was sidelined TWENTY-TWO out of twenty-three games with a sprained MCL that precipitated this decline in Brooklyn; the Nets were a miserable 5-17 during that period, which included a dreadful fourteen-game losing streak that saw the club fall from the top of the East all the way down to the play-in field in a matter of five weeks. Of course, this leads us to the last (but certainly not least) major storyline of their campaign, which was the trade of (All-NBA Guard) James Harden. roughly fifteen months after being traded to Brooklyn in a blockbuster four-team deal, the former MVP grew disenchanted with the Nets, who due to injuries and other issues rarely ever came close to meeting their lofty potential. As the Trade Deadline neared, news of his discontent continued to grow with persistent rumor linking him to the 76ers, with the trade ultimately going down on deadline day; Harden and (veteran Forward) Paul Millsap were sent to Philadelphia in exchange for (sharpshooting Guard) Seth Curry (15.0 PTS, 45.9% FG, 44.6% 3FG, 81.8% FT, 3.4 REB, 3.3 AST, 0.6 STL, 12.7 PER), (veteran Center) Andre Drummond (10.3 PTS, 56.7% FG, 50.0% FT, 9.4 REB, 2.1 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.8 BLK, 21.2 PER), (versatile Guard) Ben Simmons, and a pair of first round picks (2022 and 2027). While Curry and Drummond can certainly aid a rotation that was in dire need of reinforcements, the centerpiece of this transaction for Brooklyn was Simmons, who comes with plenty of concerns to match his own sizable potential. The former no. one overall pick is about as unique a talent in the league, as a legitimate 6′-11″ point guard who is dominant in transition and an absolute menace on the defensive end of the hardwood, capable of guarding every position at a high level. Furthermore, at 25-years old he is much younger than Harden, possessing a skill set that on paper slots perfectly alongside Durant and Irving, but there is a particularly large caveat here: Simmons hasn’t played a single minute this season after basically refusing to ever play for Philadelphia again following his role in their unceremonious ousting in last summer’s playoffs. What kind of physical shape is he in, and more importantly, where the hell is head at? If he had a hard time with the media in Philly, then he’s going to be in for a rude awakening in the Big Apple. While it’s anyone’s guess to when he’ll actually make his debut, he is expected to be on the bench tonight at Wells Fargo, with the Philly faithful no doubt frothing at the mouth to give him a piece of their mind.

When we last saw the Nets, they snapped a four-game losing streak and won just their fourth game in twenty-one contests via a 132-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. With this affair taking place at Spectrum Center, the aforementioned Irving was allowed to participate, and DID HE EVER. Kyrie exploded for a season high FIFTY points on an insane 15-of-19 shooting from the field (78.9%), including 9-of-12 from beyond the arc (75.0%) and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe (84.6%), along with three rebounds and six assists. Brooklyn jumped all over Charlotte early, outscoring them 34-20 in the first quarter, before leading 69-43 at halftime. In the first half, Nash’s troops shot a torrid 55.6% from the floor, including 9-of-19 from downtown (47.4%), edging the hosts by eighteen points in that last regard, while assisting on nineteen of their twenty-five field goals. In the end, the visitors shot 56.1% overall, attempted twenty-nine free-throws, proving that with this group the best defense is a prolific offense. Apart from Irving, Durant put up a relatively pedestrian (certainly by his standards) fourteen points on 6-of-13 shooting (46.2%), with three rebounds and five assists, though Drummond turned in one of his finest performances since joining the team, totaling twenty points and fourteen rebounds, along with a pair of blocks. (Veteran sniper) Patty Mills (12.6 PTS, 41.9% FG, 41.6% 3FG, 81.1% FT, 2.0 REB, 2.5 AST, 0.7 STL, 11.6 PER) added a dozen points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), with all of his attempts coming from three. The win was significant due to the fact that the Hornets were looming behind the Nets in the standings with an opportunity to overtake them, only for Durant & Co to create some distance as they search for a way out of the play-in field. And to that effect, Brooklyn sit 1.5 games behind the Raptors for seventh and 5.5 games behind the Cavaliers for sixth, meaning that participating in the play-in and potentially facing off against the first or second seeds in a LOADED Eastern Conference may very well be unavoidable. Ironically, their opponent tonight is in the running to earn one of those seeds, which would make for an absolutely RIVETING first round series come late April.

Meanwhile, what was the Nets’ loss has become the 76ers’ (40-24, 3rd in Eastern Conference) gain, with the presence of the aforementioned Harden breathing new life into their rotation and positioning them as one of the legitimate favorites to represent the East in this summer’s NBA Finals, which would be their first since 2001. Just 2.5 games behind the Heat in the standings, the Sixers stand remade following the Trade Deadline, and unsurprisingly, they’re pretty damn good with (All-Star Guard) James Harden (24.6 PTS, 53.1% FG, 44.8% 3FG, 89.4% FT, 7.6 REB, 12.4 AST, 1.2 STL, 30.8 PER) running the show. Before we get into the impact that the bearded one has made on his third franchise in two years, let’s take a brief walk through how he arrived in the City of Brotherly Love. All it took to acquire the three-time scoring champion was finally putting to rest the longest-running saga in the NBA, the status of wantaway Ben Simmons; after suffering an upset to the Hawks in last Summer’s Eastern Semifinals, the former no. one overall pick became the goat for said failure and instigated a lengthy standoff with the organization in which he willingly sat out the first fifty-six games of the regular season following a demand to be traded. This fascinating drama played out for months, as Philadelphia continued to fine him for every game that he missed, equating to roughly $23 million of his $30.5 million salary. While the argument could be made that they missed his services, particularly from a playmaking perspective, the Sixers nonetheless managed to march out to a 32-22 record prior to his trade, planting themselves in the thick of the race for the no. one seed thanks in large part to an MVP campaign courtesy of (All-NBA Center) Joel Embiid (29.7 PTS, 49.2% FG, 35.1% 3FG, 82.0% FT, 11.2 REB, 4.3 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.4 BLK, 31.6 PER). While he was nothing short of dominant last season, the 27-year-old has been even better this year, leading the NBA with a career-high 29.7 points per game on 49.2% shooting from the field, including 35.1% from beyond the arc, 11.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steal, and 1.4 blocks. For the second consecutive campaign he has managed to stay largely healthy, putting the foot and knee injuries that plagued him throughout the early stages of his career behind him. With that said, there is always the possibility that the big fella finds himself on the trainer’s table, and for that reason the pressure was squarely on (Lead Executive) Daryl Morey to find him reinforcements. However, the crafty Morey refused to deal Simmons away for even eighty cents on a dollar, resisting a slew of potential deals in an attempt to hold out for the acquisition of a superstar to pair with Embiid, and with less than an hour remaining before the Deadline, hit a grand slam in acquiring the services of Harden. Of course, Morey knew the 2017-2018 MVP very well from their time together with the Rockets, and once Harden let it be known that he would be in favor of a trade to Philly, while also making it clear that he would leave Brooklyn in Free Agency this coming summer, the Sixers had all the leverage they needed in order to make the deal. In poaching the 10-time All-Star, Morey parted ways with Simmons, Curry, and Drummond along with a number of draft picks, though managed to retain the services of a pair of their younger, more affordable players, such as (defensive dynamo) Matisse Thybulle (5.8 PTS, 50.0% FG, 29.1% 3FG, 72.4% FT, 2.3 REB, 1.2 AST, 1.7 STL, 1.1 BLK, 10.9 PER) and (sparkplug Guard) Tyrese Maxey (17.6 PTS, 48.2 % FG, 42.3% 3FG, 86.4% FT, 3.5 REB, 4.5 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.5 BLK, 16.7 PER). Essentially, Philly turned a massive empty roster slot and a pair of supporting cast members into one of the most prolific offensive players that the league has ever seen. While Harden’s arrival comes with its own concerns, from both basketball and financial senses, it appears that any concerns on the hardwood have been quelled quickly, for he’s looked great and quite frankly so has Philly; since making his debut last week, the 76ers are averaging a robust 118.0 points on 48.1% shooting from the field, including 37.3% from downtown, all the while attempting a ridiculous 33.7 free-throws per game, and dishing out a healthy 24.5 assists in comparison to committing only 10.7 turnovers. Granted, it has only been six games, but the honeymoon between Harden and Embiid is indeed in full swing, with the former posting averages of 24.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 12.4 assists, while shooting a blistering 53.1% from the field and 44.8% from the beyond the arc. As for the big fella, he’s had nothing but praise for his new teammate and all the space that he’s affording him, putting up 30.8 points on 46.7% shooting, along with 11.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steal, and 1.5 blocks over the last six contests. How long will the honeymoon last, you ask? Who knows? But in the meantime, you can bet that everyone in the city of Philadelphia will be enjoying the ride.

When we last saw the 76ers, they bounced back following their first defeat post-Harden trade with a convincing 121-106 thrashing of the Bulls on Monday night. After sitting out the weekend’s clash with top-seeded Miam with a tender hamstring, Harden returned against Chicago with a bang; in just under thirty-nine minutes of action, the bearded one opted to play the role of playmaker in posting totals of sixteen points, eight rebounds, and fourteen assists despite knocking down just 5-of-15 attempts from the field (33.3%). Then again, it wasn’t necessary for him to carry the scoring load, for the aforementioned Embiid handled his business and then some, finishing with FORTY-THREE points on 15-of-27 shooting (55.6%), including 12-of-16 from the charity stripe (75.0%), along with fourteen rebounds, three blocks, and a pair of assists and steals. The third quarter is where he really went to work, tormenting the visitors for nineteen points on 7-of-10 shooting (70.0%), accounting for all but ten of his team’s points in the period. In the end, Philadelphia shot a stellar 48.8% overall, including 12-of-30 from beyond the arc (40.0%) and 27-of-34 from the free-throw line (79.4%), outscoring the Bulls by twelve and seven points in those last two categories. Furthermore, though both teams to relatively good care of the basketball in combining for a total of twenty-three turnovers, (Head Coach) Doc Rivers was no doubt happy to see his troops take advantage of their opponent’s mistakes, turning thirteen takeaways into eighteen points opposed to affording them six via their own mistakes. The supporting cast also played well, with the tandem of Maxey and Thybulle accounting for twenty-nine points on 10-of-18 shooting (55.6%), while (Backup Forward) Georges Niang (9.4 PTS, 43.6% FG, 40.1% 3FG, 86.8% FT, 2.6 REB, 1.4 AST, 10.9 PER) chipped in with fourteen points off the bench, knocking down 4-of-7 from downtown (57.1%). Tonight’s matchup with the Nets marks the fourth and final meeting between these Atlantic Division rivals, with Brooklyn taking the first two encounters before Philly took the last one 110-102 back on December 30th. Embiid went off for thirty-four points, while Maxey added twenty-five points, with Harden scoring thirty-three as a member of the Nets. In sixteen career meetings with Brooklyn, Embiid has averaged 28.9 points per game on 50.5% shooting, including 40.3% from three, with 11.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.3 blocks.