Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction: Philly's experience looks too much for Brooklyn

The NBA Playoffs are in full flow and we have witnessed a bunch of upsets already. In the West, the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers defeated the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Meanwhile, in the East, the eight-seeded Miami Heat defeated the first-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. However, it wasn’t the case with the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers which meet the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1. Here in Game 2, the 76ers will look to make it 2-0 against the Nets.

Game II

In Game 1, the 76ers did a great job on the offensive end, scoring 30 and 37 in the first and second quarters and building a nine points lead in the first half. They didn’t take their foot off the gas pedal and kept on expanding the build and outscored the Nets in each quarter. James Harden sizzled and nailed seven out of 13 triples while dishing 13 assists whereas Joel Embiid racked up 26 points. Tobias Harris had 21 points while PJ Tucker had an impressive defensive game, picking up five steals. The 76ers shot an impressive 48.8% from the three-point range and committed just eight turnovers while forcing 19 of them.

For the Nets, it was once again their designated first-option Mikal Bridges who did the damage, he piled up 30 points to lead all scorers and shot 12/18. Cameron Johnson scooped up 18 points on 7/11 shooting whereas Spencer Dinwiddie had 12 points and seven assists but committed four turnovers. The Nets shot 50%+ from the field but turnovers and their poor defense is what kept them at bay. Can they bounce back in Game 2? They do have the potential.

Injuries

• Nets: OUT: Ben Simmons;
• 76ers: Nothing to report at the time of writing.

Player Props Predictions

• Expected Leading Scorers: Joel Embiid(30+ Points), Mikal Bridges(28-34 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Joel Embiid(11-13 Rebounds), Nic Claxton(8-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: James Harden(10-13 Assists), Spencer Dinwiddie(8-11 Assists).

Expert Betting Tips

The Nets were unable to thread a strong effort in the last game mostly because of their erratic ball protection and they will need to do much better. Meanwhile, the 76ers have one of the best duos in Harden and Embiid, which means they have beautiful outside shooting and unstoppable inside play. That is why I back the 76ers to win big here and predict a scoreline of 123:107.