Player grades: Mikal Bridges scores 26 as Nets lose Game 3 to the 76ers 102-97

The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Philadelphia 76ers to Barclays Center on Thursday for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series and lost 102-97. Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven playoff series 3-0.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 26 points and five assists while Spencer Dinwiddie had 20 points and seven assists. Nic Claxton had 18 points and Cam Johnson had 17 points.

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For the 76ers, Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and three rebounds while James Harden had 21 points and four assists. Tobias Harris had 15 points and Joel Embiid had 14 points.

In the first half, fireworks started early when an altercation arose between Embiid and Claxton after Claxton finished an alley-oop dunk over Embiid. Embiid fell and Claxton stood over him which made Embiid kick Claxton. Embiid was called for a flagrant one foul while Claxton was whistled for a technical foul.

After that altercation, the game finally got under control, but Philadelphia showed that they could handle the double-teams on Embiid. Once again, the 76ers made a living on second-chance points and points off turnovers along with Brooklyn having trouble scoring consistently.

In the second half, Brooklyn got back into the game with an early run. The Nets were able to show that they can play winning basketball in the second half as they took advantage of a hobbled Embiid. However, things took a turn with 8:48 left in the fourth quarter when Claxton was given his second technical foul for staring at Embiid after a dunk. Claxton was ejected from the game and from there, Philadelphia finished the game on a 21-10 run.

Here are your Nets player grades for Game 3:

Dinwiddie did a good job of scoring the basketball in this one. Not only was he having success driving to the basket and finishing at the rim, but he had his three-point shot working as well. Dinwiddie’s jump shot comes and goes, but Brooklyn relies on his ability to drive to the basket to create openings for himself and his teammates. He was able to get to the charity stripe with regularity and he used his vision for his teammates for open shots.

Bridges did not have his most efficient shooting game in this one. While he was hitting his three-point shots with consistency, for some reason, his mid-range game was off all game long. Bridges looks to be at his most comfortable when he is shooting his mid-range jumper from the middle of the floor, but his touch just hasn’t been there. However, Bridges did a great job of doing the other things like getting on the glass and being a secondary play-maker to Spencer Dinwiddie.

Johnson did a good job of scoring the basketball in this Game 3. Throughout his time in Brooklyn, Johnson has shown the ability to be a three-level scorer and he displayed more of that against the 76ers. Johnson hit some of his patented jumpshots, but what was impressive was his ability to beat his defender off the dribble and create opportunities. He did a good job of helping to rebound on the glass and he showed more of his ability to be a play-maker on the floor.

Finney-Smith was crucial in this Game 3 for the Nets. While he didn’t score much in this one, despite being left wide open on pretty much every possession, Finney-Smith did a lot else for Brooklyn. He was incredible on the glass as he was getting almost as many offensive rebounds as defensive rebounds and he did a good job of filling in at center once starting center Nic Claxton was ejected. Finney-Smith has a hard job having to guard the opposing team’s best player and there were times that he had to guard James Harden (before he was ejected) and Joel Embiid.

Claxton had his best playoff game in this series by far, but ruined it by getting ejected. Before that, Claxton was unstoppable on the offensive end. Claxton showed impressive touch at the rim and he was the most aggressive that he’s been all season. He wasn’t on the boards as much as he usually is, but that looked to be because of how much he was scoring. However, he let his emotions get the best of him as he was ejected for staring at Joel Embiid after a dunk.

O’Neale had a rough game shooting the ball in this Game 3. He was getting open looks, but he continued his struggles shooting the basketball from three-point range. Normally, O’Neale can be depended on for his shooting and/or ability to create, but neither has been working for him in this series. He did a little bit of everything like rebounding and playing solid defense, but he just didn’t provide enough on the offensive end.

Sharpe played just two minutes in this one as it was clear that Jacque Vaughn wanted to go in a different direction. Sharpe is still a very young player and he will have many more games to get experience.

Thomas surprisingly came into the game early on, but he showed that he was ready for the moment. He can be a bit feast or famine as a scorer, but Thomas showed that he wasn’t scared of the stage and that he could contribute when called upon. Obviously, some of his limitations showed in terms of creating for others, but for the most part, Thomas displayed his ability to score even in the playoffs.

Harris had a rough Game 3 to say the least. He played just four minutes and the reason for that was he couldn’t make a shot. Harris’ role on the team is to make three-pointers and unfortunately, that part of his game hasn’t been working which explains why Jacque Vaughn is looking for other players to provide the shooting.