money Player grades: Mikal Bridges drops 30 as Nets lose Game 1 to the 76ers 121-101
The Brooklyn Nets visited Wells Fargo Center on Saturday to face the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round series and lost 121-101. Philadelphia leads the first-round series 1-0.
For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 30 points and five rebounds while Cam Johnson had 18 points and four rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie had 14 points and Seth Curry had 10 points off the bench.
For the 76ers, Joel Embiid had 26 points and five rebounds while James Harden had 23 points and 13 assists. Tobias Harris had 21 points and Tyrese Maxey had 13 points.
In the first half, Philadelphia started the game like a team on a mission as they tried to give Embiid and Harden chances to make their mark on the game. After some time, the 76ers found a way to beat the double-teams that came Embiid’s way. Brooklyn stayed in the game thanks to Mikal Bridges scoring 23 points, but they allowed James Harden to find his rhythm and score 17 points.
In the second half, Philadelphia continued to pound Brooklyn on the glass and turning them over as well. The difference was that the Nets’ scoring started to slow down because of how many second-chance points the 76ers were getting. Philadelphia ran away with the game thanks to Harden, Embiid, and offensive rebounding.
Here are your Nets player grades for Game 1:
Spencer Dinwiddie: B
Dinwiddie did a good job of scoring the basketball in this playoff game. He wasn’t able to get anything going from long-range, but he had a few nice drives to the basket. His constant driving allowed him to generate free-throws and he was able to put pressure on Philadelphia’s defense that way. He did a good job of rebounding and while he racked up the assists, for the first time in awhile, Dinwiddie also racked up the turnovers.
Mikal Bridges: A-
Bridges did a great job of scoring the basketball in this one, but it seems that he was looking for offensive help for most of the game. He showed that his star-level scoring will carry over to the playoffs and he even showed that he can get to the rim if not defended correctly. While he did a good job of rebounding the basketball, Bridges also picked up the turnover bug and that was one of the major themes for Brooklyn losing this game.
Cam Johnson: B+
Johnson did a great job of scoring the basketball in this one. He was able to score at all three levels to help out Mikal Bridges on the offensive end. He did a good job of rebounding, but other than that, Johnson’s scoring was the hallmark in this Game 1. For Brooklyn to have a shot in this series, Johnson has to have similar performances from this point forward.
Dorian Finney-Smith: C-
Finney-Smith did a good job of shooting the ball in this one. He did not shoot much, but he was effective from three-point land. Finney-Smith played some defense, but it was clear that he had trouble keeping up with any of Philadelphia’s quick guards. Curiously, Finney-Smith played just 18 minutes so it’s possible that his wrist could still be bothering him.
Nic Claxton: B
Claxton did a decent job of scoring the ball in this one. He did not go at Joel Embiid as much as he could’ve given his touches, but Brooklyn’s guards also had trouble connecting with Claxton for lobs at the rim. Despite that, Claxton was all over the glass and he was usual greatness protecting the rim.
Seth Curry: C+
Curry did a good job of scoring the basketball in this one. He was able to get anything he wanted on the floor as Philadelphia struggled to contain dribble penetration. Other than that, Curry was unable to do anything else as he struggles with his defense and his rebounding and both of those deficiencies were exposed in this playoff game.
Day'Ron Sharpe: C+
Sharpe did a good job of backing up starting center Nic Claxton in this contest. Sharpe was able to be more physical with Embiid given that he’s much closer to Embiid’s weight that Claxton. However, Sharpe did not look at the basket much and being able to occupy Embiid is a key to beating Philadelphia. Sharpe did demonstrate his passing chops in this one and he played solid defense for the most part.
Royce O'Neale: C+
O’Neale did a decent job of scoring the ball in this one, but his shot from three-point land was off all game long. He had some nice drives to the basket, but Philadelphia closed on him before he could make a move or a pass. However, he did a good job getting on the glass and being a secondary facilitator.
Joe Harris: D
Harris struggled shooting the ball in this playoff game and that’s unfortunate given that he’s one of Brooklyn’s best shooters. He did a decent job of getting on the glass, but he struggled on the defensive end. Harris doesn’t have a player on the 76ers that he matches up well with other than Georges Niang.
