Sixers' hustle, energy not just intangibles in emphatic Game 1 win over Nets

Sixers' hustle, energy not just intangibles in emphatic Game 1 win over Nets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers missed twice on the first possession of Saturday afternoon’s game and still scored two points.

After P.J. Tucker secured a wayward Joel Embiid jumper, the All-Star big man eventually made a put-layup to get the Sixers on the board in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Nets.

In a 121-101 victory at Wells Fargo Center, they had a 21-3 advantage in second-chance points and 31-11 edge in points off turnovers.

While Embiid, James Harden and Tobias Harris all notched over 20 points, the Sixers blew Brooklyn out because of the hustle and exceptional effort that translated to a serious possession disparity.

“Obviously, our skill guys were great,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said. “James had one of his best games being, I guess, a catcher, where he’s calling the perfect game. But 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, they had a huge imprint on why we won today.”

The Sixers’ performance called to mind Rivers’ October optimism — following a preseason-opening win over the Nets, ironically — about his team being capable of effectively crashing for offensive boards without damaging its transition defense too badly.

On most nights during the regular season, that didn’t materialize. Players like Melton and McDaniels helped the Sixers’ offensive rebounding, but the overall impact wasn’t dramatic; the team moved from 30th to 25th in offensive rebounding percentage, per Cleaning the Glass. The Sixers’ transition defense was woeful early in the season, then mostly adequate. Rivers described it pregame as “hot and cold.”

In preparing for the series, Rivers still felt the Sixers could earn extra shots for themselves without creating transition defense disasters. The Nets don’t possess overwhelming collective muscle and ranked 28th in defensive rebounding rate since Mikal Bridges’ Feb. 11 debut. 

“We talked about it all week,” Rivers said. “That helps. … Every opponent is different; we thought we had a size advantage. Let’s use it. Let’s still get back in transition, which we did overall. The first half, I thought we lost their three-point shooters in transition a couple of times. But I thought we did both. We were able to crash the glass and get back and take away their shots.”

Twenty seasons ago, Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn started at point guard in the playoffs for Rivers’ Orlando Magic.

Before Game 1, he talked about his hope that the Nets could “impose their will” and be “very scrappy” and “gritty.”

Tucker and the Sixers instead checked those boxes emphatically. Just as he’d done for Miami in the Heat’s Game 1 playoff win last year over the Sixers, Tucker grabbed five offensive rebounds Saturday. In his 92nd career playoff game, Tucker also set a new high in steals with five.

“That’s what we brought him here for — the extra possessions, the shotmaking in the corners, his defense,” Harden said. “That’s the reason why he’s on our team.”

With Brooklyn double teaming Embiid everywhere and every time he caught the ball, Tucker figured he could snag valuable offensive boards.

“It was my key,” he told reporters. “If they’re going to double, the glass is open. You’ve got to be aggressive. That’s one of the costs of doubling, not being able to rebound out of it. A lot of times, I have guys on me that can’t stop me from getting rebounds. So getting us extra possessions, there’s going to be games that we’re going to need ‘em. … Getting extra shots at the basket changes the game.”

Not every offensive rebound Saturday was essential for the Sixers. Early in the fourth quarter, they stretched their lead to 20 points while Embiid enjoyed a stunning (yet fitting) highlight by the audacious Reed.

Back in November, Reed made a nifty between-the-legs move as he sprinted ahead to convert an end-of-quarter layup against the Timberwolves.

Tucker told reporters he’d “cussed out” Reed at halftime Saturday, demanding better energy. Everyone was thrilled by an elaborate Reed sequence after an offensive rebound that the 23-year-old punctuated with a lefty layup.

“I thought he did a great job screening, rolling, and playing out of that dunker (spot), getting easy passes and finishes. He made a great move behind the back that we probably don’t want to see again,” Embiid said with a laugh. “I’m just teasing, he can do whatever he wants. Whatever works, I guess you’ve got to keep doing it. He was great.”

Whether or not Reed pulls that trick out again, every positive from the Sixers’ win Saturday isn’t guaranteed to be there throughout the series.

However, they're up 1-0 after a comfortable victory that wasn't all about star power.