The Philadelphia 76ers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead against the Brooklyn Nets last night in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. 

While it wasn’t pretty, the Sixers managed to outscore the Nets in the second half 52-33 thanks to a 20-5 run in the third after Doc Rivers called a timeout just a minute into the quarter to deliver what can only be considered as the greatest motivational speech in Philadelphia history. (lol)

The game overall was pretty sloppy but at the end of the night, the Sixers walked away with the win and a 2-0 series lead heading into Brooklyn on Thursday night. 

Game 2 was highlighted by a 33-point effort from Tyrese Maxey, followed by Joel Embiid who scored 20 points to go along with 19 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and three blocks on the night. 

Harden, who was the star in Game 1 with 23 points and 13 assists, was a dud last night but thanks to yet another strong performance from Tobias Harris, the Sixers didn’t really need to have Harden clicking.

Tobias Harris Game 1:

• 21 Points
• 9/14 FG
• 3-3 from 3

Tobias Harris Game 2:

• 20 Points
• 8/14 FG
• 12 Rebounds

I’ve been a long believer that Tobias Harris is really the true x-factor for the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs and it’s really hard to argue against it at this point.

Embiid is always going to get his, and Harden, will have games where he looks amazing and games like last night where he just doesn’t have his best stuff. 

Harris needs to remain the constant. 

Looking past Brooklyn, which at this point, I think it’s safe to say that the Nets simply can’t hang with the Sixers, Harris will definitely need to continue is strong play against the Boston Celtics. 

Boston relies heavily on their perimeter defense and it’s widely considered the strongest part of their team. 

It’s also one of the main reasons that Tyrese Maxey only managed to average 10 points, three rebounds, and 2 assists in 4 games against Boston this season. 

With Harris, if he can continue to thrive in the dunker spot for the Sixers and bang around down low in the paint while being a consistent second or third scoring option for the Sixers, then really there’s no reason why he and the rest of the team won’t find success in the second round of the playoffs. 

Sixers Game 2 Recap >>

Joel Embiid Postgame Press Conference >>

Joel Embiid shade at Jaren Jackson Jr >>

Doc Rivers motivational speech sparks Sixers’ second half run >>

Join The Chase