Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers 1st ROUND MATCHUP PREVIEW
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
Iowa City, IA (PSF)– The NBA playoffs are finally here!
The NBA play-in tournament begins tonight with the Atlanta Hawks facing the Miami Heat, then the Los Angeles Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the late tip-off.
However, the Brooklyn Nets avoided the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference, obtaining the sixth seed. The Nets will match up with MVP front-runner in Joel Embiid, former MVP James Harden, and the Philadelphia 76ers who finished with the third seed.
The Nets and 76ers are both in the Atlantic Division with the 76ers sweeping the Nets in their four-game series during the regular season.
Their last matchup was the very last game of the season where Cam Thomas dropped 46 points in what looked like a G-League matchup between the two squads.
The NBA’s leading scoring and front-runner for MVP, Joel Embiid only played in two of the four games against the Nets and averaged 31.5 Points, 11.5 Rebounds, 2.5 Assists, and 2 steals.
The Nets are set up for the future, by acquiring multiple first-round picks from trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton seem to be the core pieces that Joe Tsai and Sean Marks will build around in future drafts.
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Here’s the breakdown and my Prediction of the first-round matchup:
Overall Record:
76ers: 54-28
Nets: 45-37
Leading Scorers:
76ers: Joel Embiid
Nets: Mikal Bridges
Fanduel Odds:
76ers: -800
Nets: +560
Prediction: This Nets team plays hard, and they are fun to watch as well, but I think this 76ers team has too much talent, and are determined to make a run this year. If the 76ers play to their standards. This series will be done in four to five games, but if not, we could be in for a good series. My heart wants me to go with the Nets, but the 76ers will pull it off.
76ers win in 5