PHILADELPHIA — Doc Rivers called a timeout 61 seconds into Monday’s third quarter, after a Spencer Dinwiddie bucket put the Brooklyn Nets up by seven points on the 76ers.
Then, the Sixers’ avalanche began.
Three-pointers by Tyrese Maxey (twice), Tobias Harris and James Harden. A game-tying driving finish by Joel Embiid. Two dunks and a putback by Harris. And one timeout by the Nets, with the Sixers egging on a suddenly roaring crowd celebrating their team now with an eight-point advantage.
That game-altering stretch gave the Sixers the lead they never relinquished in a 96-84 victory Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series.
The series will next shift to Brooklyn for Thursday’s Game 3 and Saturday’s Game 4, where the Sixers will have the opportunity to finish off their first playoff-series sweep since a 1991 first-round win against the Milwaukee Bucks back when opening series were only a best-of-five.
The Nets initially remained within striking distance even after the Sixers’ outburst. But after an old-fashioned three-point play cut the Sixers’ lead to 69-68 less than two minutes into the final quarter, they came up empty on five consecutive possessions to allow the Sixers to regain an eight-point advantage on a Harris bucket with less than eight minutes remaining.
Brooklyn never got closer than five points after that, on a night they shot 37.5% from the floor while the Sixers dominated the boards, 56-33, and had a 18-0 edge in second-chance points.
The Sixers trailed by as many as 10 points in a clunky first half, when they committed 12 turnovers the Nets converted into 13 points and made just four of their 16 three-point tries.
Maxey finished with 33 points on 13-of-23 shooting (6-of-13 from three-point range) to bounce back from a Game 1 when he went just 3-of-8 from the floor. Harris added 20 points and 12 rebounds to continue his strong playoff start. That scoring production was needed on a night Sixers stars Embiid and Harden went a combined 9-of-24 from the floor.
Embiid and Harden uneven
Embiid split two defenders as he barreled down the lane for a two-handed jam, then hit a turnaround jumper to put the Sixers up 89-78 late in the fourth.
Those were two exclamation points on the Sixers’ win. But before that, the MVP frontrunner had a quiet scoring night by his standards. He finished with 20 points, 19 rebounds (tying his season high) and seven assists.
Embiid attempted only five first-half shots, but did pull down 15 rebounds and dished out five assists during that span. He only had three attempts during the game’s first 17 minutes, before he missed a leaner at the 4:06 mark of the second quarter and then got blocked by Cam Johnson on a outback attempt.
Harden also struggled to score early, missing seven consecutive shots after converting his first attempt inside (an issue during Game 1). He finished 3-of-13 from the floor overall for eight points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Cam Johnson catches fire
After Mikal Bridges torched the Sixers with 23 first-half points Saturday, the other player who joined the Nets in the Kevin Durant blockbuster caught fire in Monday’s initial 24 minutes.
Johnson exploded for 22 first-half points, already surpassing his playoff career high before the break. He went 4-of-7 from long range but also threw down two monster dunks, including posterizing Embiid in the half’s final minute.
And like Game 1, the Sixers’ did a much better job limiting Johnson in the second half (six points). He attempted three shots — all three-pointers from the right corner — with one make in the third period. And Embiid paid Johnson back with a monster dunk on a driving attempt with about four minutes to play.
Bridges, meanwhile, finished Monday with 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. The Philly native and former Villanova star and Sixers draft pick added six assists and four rebounds.
