Coming back to Brooklyn down 2-0 for game three, Mikal Bridges understood what a game-three win would mean to galvanize his team the rest of this first-round series.
Bridges delivered for the Brooklyn Nets, scoring a game-high 26 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Philadelphia 76ers grinded out a 102-97 gutsy win against the Nets to go up 3-0 in the series on Thursday night at Barclays Center.
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia for the second straight contest, with 26 points and Joel Embiid, who was conceivably fortunate to not be ejected in the early goings of the game, finished the night with 14 points. At the 2:26 mark in the opening quarter, Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton threw down an alley-oop dunk over Embiid, who fell and appeared to kick Claxton in the groin area as Claxton stepped over him. Embiid was assessed a flagrant foul 1 and Claxton was given his first technical foul.
The MVP-finalist still played hero for the Philly faithful as he made a clutch block, while appearing injured and playing with five fouls, on Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie with 8.1 seconds left in regulation with the 76ers leading 99-97.
Following Embiid’s monumental block, 76ers’ PJ Tucker grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Bridges. At the foul line, Tucker made the first attempt, but missed the second. Tucker finished the night with 3 points and 8 rebounds for Philadelphia.
On the Nets’ ensuing possession following a timeout, Nets’ Royce O’Neale in-bounced a bad pass meant for Bridges, resulting in a turnover and a De’Anthony Melton dunk, solidifying a 76ers’ victory. Melton scored 13 points off the bench for Philly.
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn on the final play “[Mikal] and Royce just weren’t on the line on that play right there, but it was more than that obviously then that last play right there.”
Brooklyn trailed by as many as 13 in the 1st half and faced a 58-47 halftime deficit. In the 3rd quarter, the Nets outscored the 76ers 35-18 as they shot 54.2% from the field and Cam Johnson scored 13 of his 17 points.
In the closing seconds of the penultimate quarter, 76ers’ James Harden was ejected for making direct contact with O’Neale’s groin area as he was driving to the basket. Harden was assessed a flagrant foul 2, ending the former MVP’s night with 21 points. O’Neale made both ensuing free throws to give Brooklyn an 82-76 advantage to end the quarter.
Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers on Harden’s ejection “I was surprised by James….listen, they looked at it and made the call. Just have to live with it.”
In the final quarter, The Nets struggled as they shot 27.8% from the floor, while the 76ers went 47.6% from the field and out-rebounded Brooklyn 25-17. A key factor in the Nets’ struggles was the loss of Claxton’s defensive presence as he was ejected with 8:48 left to play for taunting Embiid after dunking over him. Claxton finished the night with 18 points and Embiid made the ensuing free throw to cut Philadelphia’s deficit down to 5.
Brooklyn faces Philadelphia in game 4 this Saturday, April 22, at home in a must-win scenario in order to avoid getting swept.
