The Philadelphia 76ers are hitting the road for the start of a three-game, four-night stretch that begins with the Brooklyn Nets, one of two teams in the league yet to win a game. Joel Embiid is slated to miss tonight's game to continue to rehab his left knee.
The Sixers are coming off their first loss of the season and certainly will be looking to put the Nets away early before their road trip gets a lot tougher in Chicago and Cleveland. The Nets are going to do whatever they can to eke out their first victory and should not be taken lightly for that reason.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (4-1) at Brooklyn Nets (0-5)
When: 6 p.m. EST
Where: Barclays Center
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers suffered their first defeat of the season on Halloween night against the Celtics, but continued to prove that no deficit is too significant to deter this team from believing they have a chance. They now have the opportunity to go on a clear run against a clearly inferior opponent and control a game from tipoff.
Tyrese Maxey has led the team in both points and assists in all five of the Sixers' games to date. He is leading the entire NBA in scoring at 35.2 points per game, fourth in assists at 9.4 per game, and second in three-pointers made per game at 4.4. He is playing like one of the best players in the world, and he carries himself with that type of confidence as well.
Rookie sensation, VJ Edgecombe, has been a bit quiet the last two games against the Wizards and Celtics, scoring only 14 and 17 points respectively and not being fully involved in the flow of the offense. Still, he is averaging 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game and finding ways to leave his mark elsewhere when he's not scoring.
Joel Embiid will sit out tonight in Brooklyn to manage his left knee injury that has plagued him for almost two years now. By all accounts, this is a scheduled maintenance day for Embiid and is nothing to worry about regarding his immediate availability. Adem Bona figures to get the majority of the minutes at center tonight as long as he can stay out of foul trouble.
The Sixers can play a lot faster in both transition and the half-court when Embiid is not on the floor, and that should be to their benefit against a long and athletic Nets roster. They boast the second-best offensive rating in the league, scoring 122.3 points per 100 possessions.
Many expected the Nets to be among the worst teams in the league, and they have certainly lived up to that billing and then some. They have the worst defensive rating in the league by a country mile, allowing 129.1 points per 100 possessions.
For context, the Sixers have also been a poor defensive team, ranking 26th in team defensive rating, and they are more than 10 points better than Brooklyn. The Nets are 7.7 points worse defensively than the second-worst team, the New Orleans Pelicans, who are the only other team in the league without a win. They are on track to be one of the worst defenses and possibly the worst teams in NBA history.
The Nets drafted five players in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, but only two are seeing consistent playing time. Ben Saraf is starting for them but playing a more rotational role and shooting only 21.7 percent from the field. Egor Demin has been a solid contributor off the bench, averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game to begin his NBA career. Drake Powell sprained his ankle on opening night and has not played since. He, along with Danny Wolf, who has yet to play due to his own ankle injury, has been assigned to the G League affiliate Long Island Nets. Nolan Traore has only appeared in two games so far and is likely to be optioned to Long Island as well.
The Nets can pour in points, especially when Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr are cooking. They have good team length and athleticism, but lack any real offensive skill and identity outside of Thomas and Porter Jr., who rely on heaving and hoping.
The Sixers now have the chance to go out and dominate a team that they are significantly better than, despite the roster injuries. This is a "prove it" game for the Sixers in that the hallmark of good teams is beating the snot out of bad teams.
Without Embiid on the court, VJ Edgecombe needs to be a lot more involved in the movement of the offense. These games need to serve as testing grounds for what can be accomplished when the offensive focus is primarily on the backcourt. Try some DHOs with Adem Bona or inverted pick-and-rolls with Kelly Oubre Jr or Trendon Watford, but still make sure you win the game.
The Nets will not be able to contain Tyrese Maxey or VJ Edgecombe off the dribble. Expect Maxey to continue his red-hot start to the season against the worst defense in the NBA. Kelly Oubre Jr and Quentin Grimes have been firing the ball with confidence and have been ruthlessly efficient in doing so. Adem Bona has been electrifying as a space-eating rim protector. Everyone knows and is relishing in their roles, and tonight should be the Sixers' first easy win.
Sixers 135- Nets 115
