Nets takeaways from Monday’s Game 2 loss to Sixers, including second-half collapse

Apr 17, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) drives against Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) during the first quarter in game two of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Nets led by five at halftime but fell apart in the second half and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 on Monday night, 96-84. The Sixers now lead the first-round series 2-0.

Here are the takeaways…

– Cameron Johnson got out to a hot start with seven of the team’s first 10 points and then Spencer Dinwiddie drained his first three-pointer of the game to put Brooklyn up 15-9 midway through the first quarter. Tyrese Maxey brought the Sixers back in the game with seven straight points and De’Anthony Melton gave them a 19-17 lead with a three. Johnson nailed another three and after Joel Embiid made two free throws, Dorian Finney-Smith made a shot from deep to tie the game up at 25 at the end of the first.

Johnson led the Nets with 10 first-quarter points, and DFS added eight of his own. Also in the opening quarter, Maxey paced Philly with nine points while Embiid had just six and James Harden only had two points.

– Seth Curry opened the second quarter with back-to-back buckets and Johnson continued to shoot well, hitting another three to put the Nets up 34-32. Turnovers and missed shots began to be an issue for the Sixers, as Royce O’Neale hit a three and Dinwiddie hit Johnson in transition for the dunk to go up 45-35 with 3:42 left in the half. Maxey connected from beyond the arc to cut the lead to five with about a minute left, but Johnson came right back with a huge dunk over Embiid.

– Brooklyn held on to a 49-44 lead heading into halftime, as Johnson led the Nets with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Maxey led the Sixers with 15 points, Embiid had just eight points and Harden had only two. The Nets shot 8-for-22 from three, while the Sixers went just 4-for-16 from deep in the first half. Jacque Vaughn’s squad also dominated the turnover battle, forcing 11 Philly turnovers compared to just three of their own.

– Philadelphia charged right back to start the third quarter, as Embiid tied it up at 51 apiece. Tobias Harris gave the Sixers their first lead of the second half, and then Maxey, Harden and Harris all made threes to go up 64-56. After a two minute scoring drought, Embiid was called for a travel and Mikal Bridges scored to cut the Sixers’ lead to three.

Story continues

Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn 24-14 in the third quarter and led 68-63 heading into the fourth quarter.

– Dinwiddie hit a tough step-back jumper at the start of the fourth and then banked in a driving shot plus the foul, as he converted the and-one to bring the Nets to within one, 69-68. Harden then drained his signature step-back three to give the Sixers a six point lead. The Nets started to struggle shooting, but after a Philly turnover Johnson found a wide open Curry for three as they trailed 76-71 with 7:08 left in the game. Maxey made a three to go up double-digits, but O’Neale came right back with a big three of his own to keep the Nets in it.

Johnson attacked the rim but was swatted away by Embiid, leading to another Sixers bucket. Vaughn showed his displeasure with the lack of foul calls and called timeout to regroup his team down 85-76 with 3:55 remaining. Embiid threw it down and then sank a fadeaway jumper to go up 11. Bridges tried to bring the Nets back with a big three-pointer, but Maxey hit a clutch three of his own to give him 31 points on the night.

– The Nets were outscored 28-21 in the fourth quarter and 52-35 in the second half. Johnson led Brooklyn with 28 points, including 5-for-11 from three, and Bridges added in 21 points. Maxey scored a game-high 33 points, while Embiid and Harris both had 20 points and Harden scored just eight. The Sixers outrebounded the Nets 56-33 (13-5 on the offensive glass) in the win.

HighlightsWhat’s next

The Nets return to Brooklyn and play the Sixers in Game 3 of their series on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.