76ers Crush Brooklyn Nets Big Style and Lock the Series in Game 5, 122-100

The Philadelphia 76ers annihilated the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first round, and clinched that series. The final result was 122-100 for the hosts, but it isn’t showing the magnitude of Sixer’s domination on the court.

Everything will be much clearer to you when we say that Nets scored just 31 points in the entire first half.

But that isn’t all. Philly opened the game with a 14-0 rush, which shocked the guests, who were saying before the game that they are going to fight like lions at the Wells Fargo Center. It turned out to be utterly different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLn5Rp9N4U

After 8 minutes and 28 seconds, the Nets’ scoring result was two points. Meanwhile, the home team had 23 buckets.

“They locked us up,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game. “We couldn’t find space, to not only get a decent shot…they just really forced us into poor, poor shots.”

The Sixers were all over the floor, and the Nets couldn’t do anything about it. Ben Simmons was dunking, Embid was terrorizing on both ends of the ball, all the guys were doing their thing without the slightest mistake, which is why the first quarter ended with a 32-15 lead of the hosts.

But Sixers didn’t choose to stop there. They continued in the same rhythm during the second sequence. Embiid and Simmons slowed down a little bit, but other players were there to step up. JJ Redick scored a couple of buckets, Harris and Butler followed him, and everything went as planned.

“Everybody was on their toes before the game,” Simmons explained the way his team came in flying in this event. “Just making sure we’re locked in, because we didn’t want to upset and go back to Brooklyn, you know.”

The home team was up at the halftime 61-30, and those 29 points of difference were the most in the Sixers’ playoff history.

Early on into the third period, they reached a 37-point lead, and Brooklyn was on the brink of one of the toughest losses in the playoff history. Luckily for them, the 76ers took their foot off the gas paddle. Otherwise, this would end with a 50+ difference.

Joel Embiid pointed him out after the dunk 👀

(via @sixers) pic.twitter.com/zsrZoyCHwT

— ESPN (@espn) April 24, 2019

Their best player D’Angelo Russell had only 8 points, shooting 3 of 16 from the field, and 1 of 6 from behind the arc. Simmons and the rest of the Philly backcourt ate him alive. The only two players who were showing signs of resistance tonight were Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with 21 buckets and Caris LeVert with 18. Also, Rodions Kurucs needs to be mentioned, as the young Latvian dropped 14 in 15 minutes of garbage time.

On the other side, Embid dominated, with 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists in only 20 minutes on the floor. Simmons had 13 with 6 dishes and 5 rebounds, while Tobias Harris added 12 and 8 boards.

Brett Brown wanted to use all of his players, and the entire Sixers’ team scored points last night. The next opponent will be much stronger than the Nets, and he needs his whole company at disposal.

The Toronto Raptors closed their series against the Orlando Magic, also convincingly, 115-96, and reached the conference semis in five games.

“We will be tested immediately when we get up into Toronto,” Brown said.

The one thing which frightens the Sixers’ fans when speaking about the Raptors is the fact that they didn’t defeat the Canadians in Toronto since 2012, and that they have a humiliating record against Kawhi Leonard during his career, 0-13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Y2CaWs0BA

During this season, Philly recorded only one win in four meetings agast the No.2 seed, but they think that there is a chance for them.

Joel Embiid spoke about the growth this team made since the last playoffs. Back then, 76ers had more confidence than they should against the Celtics in the conference semis, and the Process told how that hit them back. He also mentioned, that it isn’t like that this season.

“Last year, we had a great momentum going into the playoffs, and Boston just smacked us,” Embiid said, “but this year, it’s just about respecting everything about the game of basketball and just putting the work in.”

The series between the Philly and Toronto will probably start this Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Toronto.