The Philadelphia 76ers trailed at the half of Game 2 against the Brooklyn Nets before Tyrese Maxey and company took over in the second half.
The 76ers were able to come back in the second half to take a 2-0 lead on the Nets as the series heads to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn’s wing defense seemed to slow the Sixers down in the first half and Cameron Johnson provided a scoring boost.
In the second half, Tyrese Maxey and others were able to come back in the second half.
Here’s who made the difference:
76ers to credit for Game 2 comeback win over Nets
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid had limited production in the first half due to the Nets doubling the elite big man in the first half.
In the second half, he was able to pick it up and put up 20 points on a solid night of shooting from the floor, shooting 54 percent. He finished with 19 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and a steal.
Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris was offering a very poor showcase in the first half. He only scored two points in the second quarter and four points in the first. At times during his tenure with the Sixers, Harris has proven to be overrated and in the first half, he was certainly looking like it.
In the second half, he put up buckets with 20 points and 12 rebounds on the night.
Tyrese Maxey
The real star of the game was Maxey, who scored 33 points behind a solid night of shooting from the three-point line. He shot 46 percent from three as he acted like a solid second option for Embiid during the second half.
As already mentioned, Embiid was heavily doubled in the first half. Maxey was a very nice option for the Sixers when they were down due to their lack of offensive production from Embiid in the first half.
It seemed like the Nets might sneak a game past the Sixers in this one via doubles on Embiid and their elite wing defense. In the second half, the Sixers were able to get back on their feet and put up buckets and take care of the less talented Brooklyn team.
Going back to Brooklyn, it seems like this series will be over before home court changes again. While this series wasn’t expected to be anything but a four or five-game sweep, the Nets’ best chance to win a game was this one.