Deja vu. These two teams faced each other on Tuesday as the 76ers won going away in a big blow-out win. Philly has something to play for while the Nets are just counting down the days until they move to Brooklyn. Other than acting as the spoiler to the 76ers’ solid playoff chances, there just isn’t much motivation for the Nets anymore.
Background on Philadelphia
Similarly to what I said for last game’s preview, the way to stop Philly is to contain their key bench players, specifically leading scorer Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Net-killer Spencer Hawes. Definitely an easier job said than done for a defensively-challenged Nets team that is near the bottom of the NBA in defensive rating and might be without Gerald Wallace again with his hamstring injury. Oh yeah, and the 76ers also have Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, and Elton Brand for the Nets rag-tag crew to try and defend. Good luck with that.
Previous Game
Unlike the Nets, the 76ers had played a game since the meeting in New Jersey on Tuesday and it was a really easy 93-75 triumph over the Toronto Raptors. Philly controlled this game from the 2nd quarter on with the strength of some really good shooting, 53 percent to be exact. On the other hand, the Raptors couldn’t buy a basket with their 36 percent shooting effort. Also, former Net great Ben Uzoh played for Toronto on Wednesday night and didn’t miss the one shot he took. Progress!
I wrote a quick recap for Tuesday’s debacle here on the site but for the sake of rehashing, I’ll revisit some of the key points why the 76ers were able to beat the Nets by 19 in a game that was tied after the 1st quarter. Point #1: Anthony Morrow was 1-8 shooting. Point #2: D-Will had five turnovers. Point #3: Sundiata Gaines played 12 more minutes than necessary. Point 4: Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes combined for 58 points off the bench. Done.
I wrote a quick recap for Tuesday’s debacle here on the site but for the sake of rehashing, I’ll revisit some of the key points why the 76ers were able to beat the Nets by 19 in a game that was tied after the 1st quarter. Point #1: Anthony Morrow was 1-8 shooting. Point #2: D-Will had five turnovers. Point #3: Sundiata Gaines played 12 more minutes than necessary. Point 4: Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes combined for 58 points off the bench. Done.
Probable Lineups
NJN- D.Williams (PG), Brooks (SG), Stevenson (SF), Humphries (PF), She. Williams (C)
PHI- Holiday (PG), Turner (SG), Iguodala (SF), Brand (PF), Hawes (C)
Three Keys to a Nets Win
1. Contain Lou Williams somewhat- In his last four games against the Nets (three of which were Philly wins), Lou has scored 20, 17, 13, and 26 points respectively. The Nets can’t stop him but if he goes off like he normally does, there’s no chance of a win.
2. Keep it close by halftime- For the sake of this being an interesting game, I hope it isn’t a blowout by half. I know I may be asking for too much, but if the Nets can at last hang around with Philly, they might be able to put together a win.
3. Draw fouls (AKA don’t settle for long jumpers, that means you Petro)- Sounds simple enough but it’s never easy for this undisciplined Nets squad. Why risk a bad shooting night when you can just score on higher percentage lay-ups and free throws?
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