Sixers Beat the Nets and Gain Full Possession of First Place in the East

MVP chants echoed throughout the Wells Fargo Center as The Process himself, Joel Embiid, scored 39 points on 13-for-29 shooting. Embiid added 13 rebounds and the Sixers reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 123-117 against the Brooklyn Nets. The Sixers sealed their regular season series against the Nets and moved to 38-17 overall this season with a 20-5 record at home.
Hours before tip-off, Steve Nash and the Nets announced that they would be resting the majority of their players against the 76ers. Seven Nets were out Wednesday night, including James Harden (right hamstring strain), Kevin Durant (left hamstring injury management), LaMarcus Aldridge (illness) and Blake Griffin (left knee injury management). The only star player the Nets played last night was Kyrie Irving, who scored 37 points and had nine assists. Even with KD sidelined, Sixers fans made sure their voices were heard, taking a break from their now common MVP chants, to remind the Nets’ star that he sucks while Embiid was at the line.
Tobias Harris made all six shots in the second quarter and scored 13 of his 26 points to help the Sixers open up the game in the third quarter. Simmons closed out the third quarter on a fast break dunk for a 94-84 lead that sent the small crowd of roughly 5,000 Sixers fans into a frenzy entering the fourth quarter. Simmons continues to get back to form and had another strong game last night with 17 points, four rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and one block while turning the ball over just once.
PLAYER | PTS | REB | AST | FG |
Joel Embiid | 39 PTS | 13 REB | 2 AST | 13/29 |
Tobias Harris | 26 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST | 11/17 |
Ben Simmons | 17 PTS | 4 REB | 9 AST | 6/11 |
Kyrie Irving | 37 PTS | 3 REB | 9 AST | 13/22 |
Up Next: The 76ers will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Mandatory Credit: Complex Sports