Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers 01-08-17 ScoreThe Brooklyn Nets dropped their sixth game in a row as they lose to division foe, the Philadelphia 76ers 105-95 Sunday afternoon. Brooklyn has now lost both games against the Sixers this season and are still looking for their first inter-division victory of the season.
The third quarter really got the better of the Nets yet again Sunday. Taking an 11 points lead into halftime, Brooklyn found themselves down by five heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Brooklyn could not score or hold on to the ball enough to come back.
The real issue in the game this time around was turnovers. By the end of the third, Brooklyn had already committed nearly 20 turnovers. For a team that shot over 50% from the field in the first half, the turnovers were killer. They could have been up much more than 11 at the half if they had not committed the amount of turnovers that they had, and it helped Philly come back in the third, too.
Brook Lopez led all scorers on the day with 26 points on 8/16 shooting and 7/7 from the free-throw line. For the Sixers, Joel Embiid led the team with 20 points on 8/14 shooting. Embiid also brought down five rebounds, dished four assists, and blocked two shots.
This was a game that the Sixers stole from Brooklyn yet again. Brooklyn should have won this game if it were not for sloppy play early on and in the third. When the other team is on a run, Brooklyn tends to force shots and get caught up in the moment, making for sloppy basketball. Brooklyn needs a way to rectify this situation if they want the woes to discontinue.
Grading the Players
Justin Hamilton and Brook Lopez are the only Nets to earn an A today. Lopez, as mentioned, led all scorers with 26 points. He needs to do this every game for Brooklyn to compete in games. Not a surprise here from the big man for Brooklyn.
Justin Hamilton has had a resurgence since getting his contact prescription fixed. Hamilton scored 16 points on 6/11 shooting and brought down five rebounds and even blocked two shots. Hamilton was everywhere today and he was a large reason why Brooklyn had the lead in the first half the way they did.
Isaiah Whitehead gets a C on the day. Whitehead only scored five points and had three rebounds and three assists. The reason why Whitehead got a grade as high as a C was his defense. Whitehead swatted one shot all the way back to Manhattan and blocked another shot right before halftime. Whitehead may not be great offensively right now, but Brooklyn loves his defense and his grit.
Joe Harris gets an F on the day. Getting another start, Harris dropped a goose egg on the stat sheet tonight. Harris went 0-4 from the field today. Harris did bring down five rebounds, which seems to be a secretive strong point for him. At the end of the day, Harris’ starting position is running out of chances, especially with Sean Kilpatrick catching fire late in the second half and maybe finding his stroke.
The Nets will have another chance to come away with a win when they take on the Hawks on Tuesday night. The Hawks are a really good team and it will be interesting to see if Brooklyn gives themselves a chance to emerge victors. The Sixers will head back to Philadelphia and await the arrival of the New York Knicks for a battle on Wednesday night.