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Nets and 76ers wrap up the regular season

By Brian Fleurantin
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Toronto Raptors v Philadelphia 76ers Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Next stop, playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets had one job on Friday night, and they got it done with plenty of room to spare. They took care of the Orlando Magic to clinch the sixth seed and ensure an automatic bid into the postseason next week. Considering all of the mess they’ve been through this season, that’s a heck of an accomplishment.

The opponent tonight is looking to start the running clock as well. The Philadelphia 76ers are locked in to the three seed and focused on making it to the playoffs in one piece. They beat the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Where to follow the game

MY9 and the YES Network app have us covered on TV. WFAN on radio. Day party so we moving after 1:00 p.m. ET.

Injuries

No Ben Simmons due to injury. Seth Curry, Royce O’Neale, Cam Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith are officially out. Nic Claxton, Joe Harris, and Spencer Dinwiddie are questionable, but they’ve got the rest designation so we won’t see much of them if they do rsuit up. Edmund Sumner is questionable with a right hip contusion. RaiQuan Gray is newly signed to a two-way. Expect to see a lot of the big man.

We will not be seeing Joel Embiid, James Harden, PJ Tucker, Tyrese Maxey, DeAnthony Melton or Tobias Harris. Georges Niang is listed as questionable with left knee soreness.

The game

Philadelphia won game one in November, two in January, and three in February. This is the last regular season meeting between the two teams. These teams will dance for real this weekend in the playoffs.

And because these teams will see each other in the first round of the playoffs, we’re not gonna see much of anything today. The job for everyone here is to make it out in one piece. If they do that, mission accomplished.

For the folks who will play, today could be a nice opportunity to showcase their skills. For the Nets, that means Cam Thomas. CT hasn’t gotten as many minutes as Nets fans think he deserve, but every day is an opportunity for him to impress the coaching staff and break through. When the playoffs start, you need everyone on the roster ready to contribute, and we know that Thomas can heat up at a moment’s notice. He’ll need to stay ready so he can turbo charge the Nets offense and score when called upon.

Mac McClung is here, and hopefully this year’s Slam Dunk champion gets to throw down some special jams for the Brooklyn crowd.

We’ll delve into the series a lot more throughout the week, but I wonder if Day’Ron Sharpe will have a prominent role off the Brooklyn bench. The Nets will have a tall task dealing with Joel Embiid when the playoffs tip off next weekend, and if he can give good energy and own the boards, Brooklyn will be in good shape when Nic Claxton gets some rest.

No rest for Mikal Bridges however. He will be playing his 83rd game today — something that’s happened only 41 times before — and his 392nd consecutive game. He has also clinched his second straight iron man title, topping the league in minutes played at 2,963, 161 more than second place Anthony Edwards. If he plays 37 Sunday, which is unlikely, he’ll be at 3,000 which has only happened 51 time in NBA history.

Player to watch: Jalen McDaniels

McDaniels was Philly’s big acquisition at the trade deadline. So far, he hasn’t had a huge impact for the Sixers, but his length off the bench could come in handy for this team. He’ll get all the shots he can dream of today, so it’ll be another good opportunity for him to expand on his offensive game.

This one will be a short day at the office for Mikal Bridges. And as it happens, it’s coming at a perfect time for him. He shot 7-24 from the field on Friday night, his worst in a while. We should not see much of him today, and he should get a nice ovation from the fans when he clocks out for the day. He’s done well as the lead option thus far, and the playoffs will be another major test for him.

From the Vault

Playoff debuts are always special, and Allen Iverson’s maiden playoff voyage in 1999 set the stage for a Hall of Fame career

And on a different note, I watched The Legacy of J Dilla on Hulu, and it’s really damn good! With that in mind, let’s throw it back to one of my favorite Jay Dee tracks

More reading: Liberty Ballers

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