With the series split, the Sixers look to keep their momentum going against the Nets for Game 3 in Brooklyn.
When: 8 p.m., Sixers Talk starts at 6:30 p.m., Sixers Pregame Live starts at 7 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app
Here are three storylines to watch.
Sixers in transition
When the Sixers got out in transition to start the third quarter in Game 2, they were a different team. But it was the Sixers' defense, with specific attention to Ben Simmons on D'Angelo Russell, that enabled Simmons to get going downhill. Simmons' defense on Russell was two-fold; either deny Russell the ball, or dramatically force him right where he's less effective. It worked, resulting in quick turnovers and easy buckets for Joel Embiid and his teammates on the other end.
Embiid in the paint
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Embiid finished 8 of 12 in Game 2, with all of his 12 shots coming from within 10 feet. Compare that to Game 1 where Embiid finished 5 of 15, missing all six of his shots outside the paint (five of which were three-pointers). Embiid's shot selection was clearly part of the game plan in Game 2 and should continue for this series.
Chippy
Whether he meant to or not, Embiid gave Brooklyn some extra ammunition after an elbow to Jarrett Allen's face resulted in a Flagrant 1. To make matters worse, when the Nets heard about Embiid and Simmons snickering about it in their postgame press conference, multiple Nets found it disrespectful (It didn't matter that Embiid said he apologized to Allen or said the reason for their laughter was simply because Embiid's never humble about anything). The fact is, the Nets have a little extra to fuel them tonight. I'd expect a chippy one at Barclays Center.
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