Key details:
- Sixers take 1-0 series lead with 121-101 win over the Nets.
- Sixers with record-setting performance from beyond the 3-point line.
- Game 2 is Monday, in Philadelphia, at 7:30 pm on TNT.
The Philadelphia 76ers took Game 1 of their best-of-seven series against the Brooklyn Nets, winning 121-101 on Saturday afternoon in a wire-to-wire victory.
In some respects, the Sixers used a familiar formula to beat the Nets, as the league's best 3-point shooting team made 21 of their 43 shots from beyond the arc, setting a new franchise postseason record for made 3s in a game. In an increasingly make-or-miss league, any time a team is +24 in points beyond they 3-point line they stand a good chance of coming out victorious.
"One of his best games as being a catcher, where he's calling the perfect game," Sixers head coach Doc River said about James Harden, who finished the game with 13 assists.
There was one crucial way this win was different from the typical Philadelphia 76ers formula, though: they thoroughly dominated the Brooklyn Nets on the glass, finishing with a +9 edge in offensive rebounds. Overall, the Sixers had 19 more field goal attempts than the Nets. Brooklyn had a 65% eFG%, which is the highest effective field goal percentage in a loss in playoff history, according to Mike Lynch of Sports-Reference.
During the regular season the Sixers collected offensive rebounds on just 24.5% of their own misses, according to CleaningTheGlass.com, the 6th lowest rate in the league. But as I highlighted in my series preview, this is one of the few matchups where the Sixers could hold a significant advantage on the glass, as the Nets were the second worst defensive rebounding team in the league.
"I thought our energy guys played a big part in this game. De'Anthony Melton, Jalen [McDaniels], Paul Reed, Tuck, I thought those four guys had a huge imprint on why we won tonight," Rivers said. "I thought we had a size advantage. I thought that, and our passing, and our ability to force turnovers and not turn the ball over [were big]."
The Sixers ended the game shooting better from 3-point range (21-43, 48.8%) than they did on shots within 14 feet of the basket (21-44, 47.7%).
