Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction: Experienced Philly takes on young Nets

The NBA Playoffs are here and what an intriguing prospect they are bringing. The race to the title is going to heat up as we head deeper and a team can’t afford lengthy losing streaks offer anymore, four losses in a round means the end of the journey. There are obvious favorites especially those who rank in the top three but an upset or two are always around the corner. Will the Brooklyn Nets affect an upset as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers?

The Nets’ season was a tail of two halves. In the first half, they were the title contenders, having Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, winning 31 and 20 losses which is a rather decent return for two superstars of such magnitude. After that, the team brought in young talent, and Mikal Bridges took the reins after the departure of their mega boosters, Irving and Durant, they managed to reach 14 wins and 17 losses, stumbling to 45 losses and 37 losses, but managing a top-six Playoffs birth by a whisker. Mikal Bridges averaged 33 points in March and was the Player of the Month for the East, can he affect an upset?

The 76ers come into the Playoffs after winning 54 and losing 28 matches. They won seven in a row or more three times during the season and at the tail-end of the season, the team had six wins and six losses. These losses came because James Harden was injured for some games but when he and Joel Embiid get it rolling, there is no stopping them. Embiid averaged 33 points and 10 rebounds whereas James Harden dished just around 11 assists and 21 points. Tyrese Maxey scooped up 20 points a game whereas Tobias Harris is another strong 10+ points scorer who also brings defense. The defense is also bolstered by having De’Anthony Melton.

• Nets: OUT: Ben Simmons. Game-Time Decisions: Royce O’Neale, Seth Curry, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Edmond Sumner;
• 76ers: Game-Time Decisions: Tobias Harris, PJ Tucker, Danuel House Jr, DeWayne Dedmon, De’Anthony Melton, James Harden, Georges Niang, Tyrese Maxey.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Joel Embiid(35-39 Points), Mikal Bridges(26-32 Poins);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Joel Embiid(11-14 Rebounds), Nic Claxton(9-13 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: James Harden(11-14 Assists)- GTD, Spencer Dinwiddie (10-12 Assists).

The injury list may look long but I believe most of these players will feature here. The 76ers have been doing a great job when the duo of Harden and Embiid get it cooking but their depth is much more and they are a team well-suited for the Postseason. Mikal Bridges has been leading the charge for Brooklyn but I believe the 76ers will prevail here nonetheless on the heels of a Joel Embiid explosion. I predict a scoreline of 117:106 in favor of Philly.