clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

A basketball game was played in Philadelphia and Nets lost

Final: 121-95

By Anthony Puccio and Net Income

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

NBA: Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia is the NBA’s hottest team in the NBA. The Nets? Not so much.

Philly won its 11th straight game in a rout over the Nets, 121-95, Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center. To make matters worse, DeMarre Carroll left the game early and did not return due to a hip strain. It was the second injury of the day. Isaiah Whitehead underwent surgery in the morning to repair damage to his wrist ligaments.

Like YES Network, the Nets arrived late to this game.

They went the entire first quarter without a two-point field goal. They didn’t hit one from inside the arc until the 6:52 mark of the second quarter, but they were 10-of-23 from deep at that point — 12-of-27 at half.

Fortunately for them, it was only a 12-point deficit at half. Unfortunately for them, it only got worse. They went down 26 midway through the third. They never made it back from that point on.

After hitting 12 3-pointers in the first half, the Nets shot just 5-of-15 from three in the second half. The game plan was pretty obvious.

Spencer Dinwiddie led the team with 16 points off the bench. Jahlil Okafor in a rare cameo, scored 15. Joe Harris pressed into service with Allen Crabbe out, was solid with 13 points in his start and Nik Stauskas chipped in 13 in 21 minutes. D’Angelo Russell played just four minutes in the 2nd half - 19 total - and finished with six points, six rebounds and five assists.

Eight players finished in double figures for Philly, led by JJ Redick who scored 19.

Nets were pounded on boards, 56-36; shot 40 percent from the field; turned the ball over 18 times. You can’t win that way.

THE FUTURE

With the season down to four games, Kenny Atkinson talked about the future...

“Jarrett Allen, he’s got to be not a good player but be a great player. I think Caris has got to make a step. Those guys are our lottery picks, and that’s the way I look at it. And then D’Angelo obviously, his situation, same thing. We’ve got to look at those guys in that light, and that’s how we do it.

“We’re pushing those guys. But we’re not saying ‘Oh man, we don’t have those picks.’ These are our lottery picks. And we have to get them to a level where they’re elite players in this league. That’s the push. They’re getting a great opportunity to spin their wheels now. I like the direction they’re going. But to make that big leap, that’s hard. And we’re pushing to get there with those guys.”

INJURIES

Allen Crabbe was out with an illness and Isaiah Whitehead is out for the season. He underwent successful surgery today, the Nets announced. Milton Doyle suited up and played 12 minutes, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds.

JAH? JAH!

Jahlil Okafor has been a DNP-CD the past seven games and has not played since March 17 where he logged just six minutes. He’s played in a total of four games since March 1 and three of the four have come against the Philadelphia 76ers. He recently told Mike Scotto and Brian Lewis that he’s uncertain about his future in Brooklyn.

He played 16 minutes and finished with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He even hit a 3-pointer.

After the game, Atkinson was asked if Okafor’s performance mattered.

“I give him credit. He turned his ankle there pretty good and kept on jugging along. He had some really good rolls, good plays. Listen, we evaluate every minute. Every minute counts, especially against a good team. So yeah, I thought he helped his cause there.”

Okafor told reporters that he had benefited “tremendously” by playing every day vs. Timofey Mozgov and gave credit to him and the Nets coaches.

ACY FINED $25K

Quincy Acy was fined $25,000 for his altercation with Andre Drummond on April 1. The league has not made a statement on the issue, but it’s safe to say the penalties could have been worse. Acy, who will make a little more than $1.7 million this season, inadvertently whacked one of the refs in the face when charging after Drummond.

SIXERS HONOR DR. J

The Philadelphia 76ers honored Julius “Dr. J” Erving on Tuesday by unveiling a statue at their practice facility.

And they handed out these shirts at the game.

Erving, of course, played three seasons in the ABA as a New York Net and then finished his final 11 seasons with the Sixers in the NBA.

***

The Nets are now 25-53 on the season with five games left. With this loss, they’re also 1-14 against the Atlantic Division.

More From NetsDaily