Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers preview: Battle of Turnpike a car crash for Philly

Philadelphia 76ers v Memphis Grizzlies — Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

The Nets and 76ers have surprised in different ways early this season. The Nets are playing well enough, the 76ers are a historic disaster … so far.

Yes, tanking would be the ideal situation for the franchise. And yes, I do want Mr. Flagg or the tremendous Rutgers duo at Barclays, but you have to admit, you gotta love the way those Nets fight to the end!

On Wednesday night, Brooklyn proved again that they can pretty much play with anybody in the league, as they were able to go on a surge late in the first half and early on in the second half that led to a 116-115 victory. Cam Johnson continued his red hot start to the season, scoring 34 points and going 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. Jalen Wilson also scorched the net in the key minutes he played, adding in 17 points with five threes made.

In tonight’s matchup, another Emirates Cup game, the Nets will be playing a dreadful Philadelphia 76ers team. whose woes on the season have been historic, and unexpected. They’ve lost five straight and are currently 2-12, the worst record in the NBA and three and a half games behind the team that was supposed to be the league’s worst team, if you believed preseason hype. From injury problems to teammates questioning who their real leader is, the 76ers have been a master class in sports ineptitude. The Nets have a chance to do more damage on their way to having a chance to win the Cup.

Also, it’s a chance to take the lessons learned from their Battle of the Boroughs last weekend vs. the Knicks and apply them to the Battle of the Turnpike, as our Lucas Kaplan and Shara Talia Taylor discussed this week.

Where to Watch

Catch the game at 7:00 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass.

Injuries

Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot injury recovery), Day’Ron Sharpe (left hamstring strain), Jacky Cui (G-League), Jaylen Martin (G-League), and Dariq Whitehead (G-League) will all be out. Nic Claxton is probable with a lower back strain that has kept him out of three games and he revealed has been an issue since the summer. Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) and Cam Thomas who missed the Hornets game (lower back tightness) are now both probable as well.

For the 76ers, Paul George will be out with a left knee injury. Kyle Lowry will be out as well with a right hip strain. And Joel Embiid is now questionable with “knee injury management.” after not participating in shootaround Friday. That leaves only one member of Philly’s “Big Three” — Tyrese Maxey — ready to go.

The Game

In the beginning of the season, the Eastern Conference was frightened knowing that superstars Paul George and Joel Embiid would team up with the emerging stardom of Tyrese Maxey. Fast forward to now, Philly is now 2-12 with a disappointed — no, angry, irate, enraged, vexed, exasperated — fanbase. On-court problems have only been the half of it, as reports circulated that Tyrese Maxey challenged Joel Embiid on his tardiness to practice and other team activities (Embiid denies this). Embiid seemed more upset at the leak than the content.

Even if Embiid denies being late on a regular basis, the fact that it got out in the first place lets you know where the 76ers sits as a franchise. With a promising future, should they rely on the draft next year? I sure hope not. Here’s why. If they continue down this path, their first round pick will wind up in … Oklahoma City. Woe is them.

For the Nets, if they can get Cam Thomas back, it will help Brooklyn’s chances of matching or exceeding Philly’s rising young backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and rookie Jared McCain, who is one of the few bright spots for Philly fans. The main problem, IF Embiid plays, will be the frontcourt. With Nic Claxton and Dorian Finney-Smith going from questionable to probable to likely available, Noah Clowney won’t have to worry about going head-to-head with Embiid or Andre Drummond in a one-on-one situation. Of course, any match-up between former teammates Embiid and Ben Simmons could be tasty, but alas now seems unlikely.

Simmons, the target of Philly boo-birds since his holdout three seasons back, has always seemed more amused than upset by the reaction to him at Wells-Fargo Center, as he noted after his last game at Wells-Fargo back in February.

“It’s funny to me,” Simmons said after that game. “I’ve got grown men pissed off and yelling at me. … It’s not that deep. It’s sports, but it comes with it, so I enjoy it.”

“He likes playing and he’s a competitor,’’ Cam Thomas Thursday said of Simmons. “He likes that kind of atmosphere. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go and have an impact and do everything for us on the court.”

We won’t know who’s actually suiting up till closer to game time.

Player to Watch: Jared McCain

Whether he is doing Tik Tok or playing basketball, Jared McCain couldn’t have asked for a better situation despite the 76ers’ current situation. Since November 8, McCain has averaged 24.4 PPG, blowing by nearly every rookie in the 2024 class and even earning a 10 point upgrade on NBA 2K, which is more than any other player that I can remember in my years playing the game! McCain, besides being a great shooter, has great strength for someone his size (6’3”), which allows him to get to the rack at will and not be bumped out of his spots.

Whoever takes the challenge of guarding McCain has to realize that he doesn’t play like your typical rookie. If the defender can stay honest and make sure to contest everything that McCain puts up, there might be a chance to cool him down.

From the Vault

The brouhaha over the 76ers team meeting (following Game 10!!) recalls a number of other famous moments in Philly history, none more notable than Allen Iverson’s famous rant about practice now more than 20 years old. Here it is from reporter Phil Jasner’s question to Iverson’s basketball poetry.