The Brooklyn Nets couldn’t withstand the Philadelphia 76ers 3rd quarter explosion in Game 2, allowing 51 points in a 145-123 loss that evened their Eastern Conference First Round series at 1-1.
The Brooklyn Nets, as they did in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference First Round series with the Philadelphia 76ers, weathered the first knockout punch the 76ers tried to throw.
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But unlike in Game 1, the Nets crumbled under the pummeling Philadelphia delivered with the second flurry.
The 76ers opened the second half on a 21-2 run, led by Joel Embiid‘s 11 points during that spurt, to break open a close game and run away with Game 2 of the series 145-123 on Monday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The 76ers tied an NBA Playoffs record with 51 points in the decisive third quarter, optscoring Brooklyn 51-23 to turn a one-point halftime lead into a 116-87 blowout by the quarter break.
Game 3 is Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with another 8 p.m. Eastern tipoff. The game will be televised by TNT.
The 76ers became just the third team to score 50 points in a quarter in the postseason, but the second in two years. The Houston Rockets hung 50 on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter of Game 4 of their first-round series last April 23.
The Los Angeles Lakers set the record with 51 points in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the Western Division Finals against the Detroit Pistons on March 31, 1962, a game in which the Lakers still lost 132-125.
The 145 points by Philadelphia marked the most ever scored by a Nets’ opponent in a playoff game, topping the 142 scored by the Chicago Bulls in a triple-overtime victory over Brooklyn in Game 4 of their first-round series on April 27, 2013.
The most a Nets team had ever allowed in regulation was 125 to the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their first-round series on April 18, 1985.
Brooklyn hung around in the first half despite Philadelphia shooting 51 percent overall (26-for-51) and outrebounding the Nets 26-17. They did it by going 10-for-23 from 3-point range in the opening two quarters and trailed just 65-64 at the half.
But the 76ers caught a break late in the second quarter, when Embiid was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul after elbowing Brooklyn center Jarrett Allen in the face, splitting Allen’s lower lip in the process.
The hard swing of Embiid’s left elbow could have easily been called a Flagrant 2, which would have led to Embiid’s ejection from the game. Instead, he led the third-quarter onslaught with 13 of his game-high 23 points.
The Nets didn’t help their cause by missing all six of their 3-pointers in the third quarter. They shot just 38.1 percent (8-for-21) overall and gave up 10 points off four turnovers. Brooklyn was also demolished on the glass 15-4 and Philadelphia scored 10 second-chance points in the period.
Brooklyn finished the night at 47.8 percent (43-for-90) and was 15-for-36 (41.7 percent) from deep — going 5-for-7 in the fourth quarter after the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Turnovers and rebounding killed the Nets on Monday. The Nets gave up 29 points off 14 turnovers and got just nine back on Philadelphia’s 12 miscues. The 76ers had a 49-32 edge on the boards and a 21-9 advantage in second-chance points on the game.
The Sixers hit 56.1 percent (55-for-98) overall and were 9-for-23 (39.1 percent) from deep after a 3-for-25 showing in Game 1.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 19 points. Allen finished with six rebounds and four assists. D’Angelo Russell had 16 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 15 and Caris LeVert and Shabazz Napier each dropped in 13.
Ed Davis, who was huge in Game 1, played just 5½ minutes after he was questionable with a sprained right ankle and Jared Dudley sat out with tightness in his right calf after a strong Game 1 effort.
Embiid had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers, while Ben Simmons bounced back from a rough opener with a triple-double, logging 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds and hitting 8-of-12 from the floor.
Jimmy Butler was held to seven points after scoring 36 in Game 1, but had seven assists.
Here are three takeaways from the Game 2 beatdown.