Old Friend Scorches Sixers in Nets Victory

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Friday night saw a huge third quarter ignite a Sixers comeback and carry them to victory. Like Seinfeld’s ‘Even Steven’ concept, Saturday night saw the scales tip in the exact opposite direction. Philadelphia went ice-cold for a period after halftime, as Brooklyn outscored the Sixers 23-10 in the third quarter. The Sixers went from up 5 at the half to trailing by 8 heading into the final period, and though they got it within 2 points in the closing minutes, they never had enough in the tank to complete the comeback.

A big reason for that was a familiar face. Playing his first game against his former club as a Net (he had previously faced the Sixers with Minnesota), Thad Young used all his old tricks on the way to a game-high 21 points on 9-15 shooting and 9 rebounds. The quick first step to his left, the herky-jerky moves once he got in the paint, the occasional jumper, it was all on full display for Thad. I’d say the Sixers defenders should have known what was coming, but there’s only a handful of guys left that even played with him as recently as last season.

Young’s offensive success on the even went against script in what was largely an ugly effort from both sides scoring the basketball. The Sixers’ new strategy of jacking up a ton of threes doesn’t work as well when none of them are going in.

Only 3 times in #NBA history has a team shot 37 or more 3s and hit a lower percentage than the #Sixers‘ 21.6 tonight. H/T @DennyDeitch

— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) March 15, 2015

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As poorly as the Sixers shot the ball from deep, they were actually better than Brooklyn, who finished 2-17 on the night.

Earning the start for Luc Mbah a Moute (rest). Jerami Grant had a rough outing. Although he did record 3 blocks, Grant shot 3-11 from the field and went just 0-4 from the line, There was a fun sequence late in the game where he and Thad Young each had a huge defensive play against the other; they have such similar games, it was like watching an older and a younger brother go at it (all part of the Sixers family).

One of the few guys who did shoot the ball well (mainly because nearly all his shots were within 5 feet of the basket) was Nerlens Noel. The big man finished 7-10 for 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks, but did have 5 turnovers and also foul out late in the 4th quarter. Strangely, after not fouling out all season, it was the second time in his last three games Noel did so. Whether it’s just a blip or actually a product of playing with a more aggressive attitude, it’s something to keep an eye on for Sixers fans.

Brooklyn season ticket holders had a team-organized road trip down to the Wells Fargo Center, and hearing their opposing ‘Brooklyn, Brooklyn’ chant seemed to make for a fun atmosphere. I look forward to the day when these rivalry games start to really carry significance. Until then, this loss at least helps the Sixers from slipping further away in the race to the bottom. So for that, thanks Thad, for helping us turn garbage into gold one last time.