Player grades: Spencer Dinwiddie scores 20 as 76ers beat Nets 96-88 to finish sweep
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center on Saturday for Game 4 of their first-round series and lost 96-88. Philadelphia has swept the season series 4-0.
For the Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie had 20 points and six assists while Nic Claxton had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks. Mikal Bridges had 17 points and Cam Johnson had 11 points.
For the 76ers, Tobias Harris had 25 points and 12 rebounds while James Harden had 17 points and 11 assists. Tyrese Maxey had 16 points and De’Anthony Melton had 15 points off the bench.
In the first half, Brooklyn took advantage of the absence of Joel Embiid by having more success driving to the basket and racking up points in the paint. Without Embiid in the game, Brooklyn was able to switch up its defensive coverage by playing more straight-up and making Philadelphia have to earn its buckets. Nic Claxton had 15 points.
In the second half, Brooklyn ran into familiar issues with being unable to score on a consistent basis, especially in the third quarter, and having trouble rebounding the basketball. Over the course of the game, Brooklyn allowed Philadelphia to grab 15 offensive rebounds that led to 25 second-chance points. The Nets’ season ended in a disappointing way that showed the work that the team has to do in the offseason.
Here are your Nets player grades for Game 4:
Spencer Dinwiddie: A-
Dinwiddie did a good job of scoring the basketball in this one. He started the game showing off his long-range shooting and once he opened up the floor, Dinwiddie started driving to the rim and had some success that way. It’s tough with Dinwiddie being virtually the only creator on the team, but he has found a way of balancing his creation with his scoring. He did a good job of getting on the boards and he did a good job of finding his teammates when they were open.
Mikal Bridges: C
Bridges had a quiet game overall as he wasn’t able to get much going on the offensive end. He did not look for his shot that much which was surprising to say the least. Bridges started shooting more in the second half, but it’s possible that the pace of the game affected how many shots he took. To his credit, Bridges did a good job of rebounding the ball and he showed his ability to create for his teammates as well.
Cam Johnson: C
Johnson had an okay shooting game in this one. He struggled with his jump-shooting, but he had some nice moments where he was able to drive to the rim. Johnson was incredible on the glass as he broke his career-high in the rebounding department to offset his poor shooting. He also did a good job of handling the ball and making the right pass to an open teammate.
Finney-Smith did a good job of shooting the ball in this one. There are some games where Finney-Smith cannot buy a bucket and then, there are games like today where he’s able to make some shots. His shotmaking helped Brooklyn in the early going, but the entire offense sputtered in the second half. Finney-Smith showed his versatility in this one as he did a little bit of everything, including playing solid defense on James Harden.
Nic Claxton: B
Claxton did a great job of scoring the basketball when the ball came his way. He showed his soft touch in the lane when it came to shooting his short push shots and he was able to finish at the rim when he received a lob or a nice touch pass. Claxton was awesome on the glass as he showed how active he can be when he’s engaged. He also racked up the blocks covering for his teammates that were blown by on the perimeter.
Joe Harris: F
Harris had a tough time shooting the ball in this one. Unfortunately, Joey Buckets did not make an appearance in this series despite how much Brooklyn was yearning for anyone to have some success shooting the ball. Harris mixed it up on the boards, but when he isn’t hitting his three, it’s hard to give him time on the floor, especially in the playoffs.
Royce O'Neale: C
O’Neale could not buy a bucket in this Game 4. It was not for a lack of quality as O’Neale had a few wide open looks at the rim off of passes from somebody that was able to create something. Despite his shooting struggles, O’Neale still gave an effort by getting on the boards and he showed some of his value outside of shooting the ball by picking up some critical assists whenever Philadelphia’s defense was scrambling.
Seth Curry: C+
Curry did a good job of scoring the ball in this one. He could not buy a bucket from three, but he was effective at creating space against any defender that came up against him and was able to swish the shot. In a game where Brooklyn struggled to shoot the ball, it stands to reason that Curry should’ve gotten more shots, but he played his role well as a scorer off the bench. Curry also did some dirty work by getting some rebounds knowing that Embiid wasn’t there to secure them.
Patty Mills: F
Mills surprisingly came into this game to get his first minutes of this series. Unfortunately, he could not provide the spark that Cam Thomas did as Mills was unable to make a shot and he was getting cooked on the other end of the floor. Mills’ value to this team other than being one of the veterans is to shoot the ball and he was unable to do that.
