On Thursday night, the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers matched up at Barclays Center for each team’s second preseason game, with the Nets securing a 114-108 victory at home.
After a splashy offseason featuring star signings, blockbuster trades, and key free-agent bench additions, the Sixers returned to action. Basketball fans finally got a glimpse of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid sharing the court together for the first time.
Right from the opening tip at the Barclays Center, the “King”, LeBron James showcased his elite playmaking while running point guard. This was the role head coach Nick Nurse reportedly envisioned for him all summer. All five of James’ assists came in the first quarter as Maxey and Edgecombe had the hot hand early.
James scored his first official points as a Sixer at the free-throw line, going 2-for-2, and finishing a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. His only field goal came midway through the second quarter when Maxey set him up for a smooth reverse layup, going 1-for-1 from the field. Playing only the first half, James finished with 10 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal in 18 minutes, posting as a +10 plus-minus.
Philadelphia’s backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe consistently attacked the rim and put pressure on Brooklyn’s defense. Maxey had 14 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes, before resting the second half, while Edgecombe chipped in with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 23 minutes.
The Sixers’ athleticism and fast break potential were on full display. Last season, James (5.7) and Maxey (5.5) led the NBA in fast-break points per game, as both are now on the same team together. With five legitimate offensive threats sharing the floor, opposing defenses will face a nightmare trying to gameplan for a lineup where anyone can catch fire in an instant.
Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid led the team in playing time with 24 minutes each. Embiid struggle offensively, scoring just 6 points on 1-for-5 shooting 0-for-2 from deep alongside 8 turnovers, though he did go 4-for-4 at the line and dished out 3 assists. Brown, making his second appearance in a Sixers uniform, delivered with a balanced performance. He was able to score inside the rim, and with his effective mid-range scoring, gain 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 7-for-7 from the line.
On the other side, Brooklyn showed all night long a collective effort in Nets head coach Jordi Fernández system of playing hard and together. Making his second appearance as a Net, Julius Randle led the way with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, going 4-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line. Despite his two assists, Randle’s vision really stood out. Whenever double-teams arrived or the lane collapsed, he consistently found open teammates. He was equally relentless on defense, with his hard effort that forced Philly into frustrating turnovers and led to an Embiid technical foul.
The two other Nets new additions Keon Ellis and Moritz Wagner made a positive impact as well. Ellis dropped 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while Wagner had 6 points, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. Wagner played with his signature edge where he’s the kind of player you hate playing against but love to have on your side. Wagner finished as a +9 and Ellis as a +5 while on the court.
Brooklyn’s five second-year draft picks Egor Dёmin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf scored a combined 42 points as each continues to show promise. Dёmin and Traoré were impressive from all three levels as Dёmin had 13 points, 5 assists, with shooting 5-for-13 from the field and Traoré had 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from deep.
In the second half, it was a tale of two quarters. With Philly’s starters heading to the bench after brief second-half action, Brooklyn blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Sixers 37-23 to take a 93-81 lead into the fourth. Though the Sixers made a late comeback with outscoring the Nets 27-21 in the fourth, Brooklyn held off in the clutch to win and improve to 2-0 in the preseason.
The Nets next travel to face the Washington Wizards on Monday night, while the Sixers head to Boston on Saturday, marking Jaylen Brown’s first game back at TD Garden as an opposing player.
