The Philadelphia 76ers rode a hot-shooting performance in Game 1 of their series with the Brooklyn Nets to take a 1-0 lead, and they enter Game 2 as 10-point favorites.
There aren’t many people who expected the Nets to win this series, but the team struggled to compete with the Sixers in the second half of Game 1, turning the ball over 19 times in the game.
In the 121-101 win for Philly, the Sixers shot an impressive 21-for-43 from beyond the arc, shooting better from 3 in the game than they did from 2-point range.
The Nets tried to double Joel Embiid on every catch, yet he still poured in 26 points while the No. 1 3-point percentage offense around him rained in open look after open look.
Jacque Vaughn and the Nets need to figure out a new strategy, especially if their offense is going to struggle with turnovers.
Let’s dive into the odds for Game 2, and I’ll share my best bet for this matchup:
Nets vs. Sixers odds, spread and total
Nets vs. Sixers prediction and pick
Game 1 finished with 222 combined points, and there are a lot of things that tell me we could be in for another higher-scoring affair in Game 2.
Sure, Philly isn’t going to hit 21 3-pointers again (prove me wrong!), but the team was also terrible shooting the ball from inside the arc.
The Nets, on the other hand, also shot the ball at an impressive clip (55.7 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from 3) despite looking disjointed on offense for most of the second half.
There are two keys for this game going OVER the total in Game 2, and both need to happen from the Nets side of things.
First off, the team needs to keep Mikal Bridges involved in the game. Bridges dominated the first half, shooting 10-for-16 in Game 1, but he took just two shots after the break with the Sixers trying to deny him any easy looks.
If the Nets want to win, they need to get creative with getting him open.
One way to do that? Stop turning the ball over!
Brooklyn wasted a ton of possessions with turnovers, and the team could certainly see some positive regression there to get others involved, including Bridges, in the offense.
While I don’t expect both teams to light things up from 3 again, this isn’t completely uncharacteristic. Philly and Brooklyn both finished in the top five in the league in 3-point percentage this season.
Laying double digit points in a playoff game is not something I look to do, especially since I expect Brooklyn to make some adjustments. So, let’s root for another offensive showcase and the OVER on Monday night.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.