It was a play-off-like shock that was disputed on the night of Thursday to Friday in the NBA. Brooklyn hosted Philadelphia at the Barclays Center, and the poster didn’t disappoint. From an unchallenged domination of the Nets to a return from Philadelphia and a close end to the game, the duel kept all its promises. It ultimately ended with Brooklyn’s victory over the Sixers (114-105).
The Nets of an excellent Kevin Durant (32 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists) are better and better collectively, and thus chain a 4th victory in a row. Enough to leave Steve Nash’s troops in the lead in the Eastern Conference (21-8), far ahead of “Philly” (8th, 15-15).
To begin with, it was a small visitor roster (8 players only) that suffered the lightning strike of Brooklyn. With a ball that traveled quickly from hand to hand, the premises imposed their basketball, to dominate the overwhelmed Sixers (39-25 at the end of the first quarter, 66-48 at the break).
Then Philadelphia engaged the option “straggler match”. Joel Embiid (32 points, 9 rebounds) then imposed all his class and his power (three-point shooting, penetrations, game back to the basket) to bring his own, well supported by Seth Curry (29 points at 13/21 in the shoot) or “Dédé” Drummond.
The Sixers came back from afar, and brought up to the Nets on an Embiid tap, less than two minutes from the end (103-103). But Brooklyn can count on one of the best forwards in league history. And when this one has a warm hand …
On the following two actions, KD forced the decision. The winger first fired a perfect three-point surface-to-air missile. Then, on a two-man take, he perfectly shifted Blake Griffin (17 points, 9 rebounds), for a second shot from behind the arc. The Philadelphia comeback will therefore not have come to an end. But facing a player of this level, the Sixers should have no regrets.
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