Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction & Match Preview - December 16th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Brooklyn Nets will host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Barclays Center on Thursday, December 16th.
The 76ers will head into this game off a 96-101 loss against the Miami Heat, which has seen them fall to 15-14 on the season. The Brooklyn Nets, meanwhile, will continue their homestand, coming off a close 131-129 OT win against the Toronto Raptors. They continue to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Match Details
Fixture - Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets | 2021-22 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Thursday, December 16th, 2021; 7:30 PM ET (Friday, December 17th, 2021; 6:00 AM IST).
Venue - Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY.
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers will head to the road after coming off a loss against the Miami Heat. With a 15-14 record, the Sixers find themselves as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
Against a shorthanded Miami Heat roster, the 76ers played quite passively. Facing a huge first-quarter deficit, the 76ers attempted to close the gap in the next three quarters. Although they won the fourth quarter, that wasn't enough to get them a win on the night.
GABE VINCENT FOR THE LEAD!
@MiamiHEAT 99
@sixers 96
He's up to a career-high 7 threes...39 seconds left on League Pass: app.link.nba.com/e/LPAlert https://t.co/8oJJsipF15
The Philadelphia 76ers' poor perimeter defense allowed Miami to stay in the contest, and eventually come up with the win. Although Joel Embiid dominated the rebounding glass, the 76ers were outrebounded 44-35. Moreover, their own shooting woes from beyond the arc eventually caught up with them.
Key Player - Seth Curry
Seth Curry is one of the key players in the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup. Starting in the shooting guard position for the side, Curry is one of the best shooters in the league.
Seth Curry drops Jordan Poole for the easy jumper 🙌
https://t.co/7opqBdQ2Lc
Although Seth Curry had a poor outing against the Miami Heat, he could play a key role for the 76ers against Brooklyn. With all the attention of Joel Embiid, Curry will have to step up, and be a threat from behind the arc.
By drawing attention to himself, Curry also opens up avenues for teammates to score. With other talented scorers such as Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris on the roster, Curry being in top form facilitates a lot of the Sixers' offense.
Curry also functions as a backup point guard who can run plays for the team.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
G - Tyrese Maxey | G - Seth Curry | F - Matisse Thybulle | F - Tobias Harris | C - Joel Embiid.
Brooklyn Nets Preview
Coming off their win against the Toronto Raptors, the Brooklyn Nets are 20-8 on the season. With a severely depleted roster owing to injuries and the league's health and safety protocols, the team has been reduced to just eight active players.
Led by Kevin Durant at the scoring end, the Brooklyn Nets fought back after allowing the Toronto Raptors to take a 44-point surge in the third quarter. To make up for the deficit, the Nets' guard Patty Mills came up clutch for the side.
.@Patty_Mills FORCES OT 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/9PpZNZ8pyS
Hitting back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter, Mills was key in keeping the Brooklyn Nets in the game. With the game going into overtime, Durant took over and settled the issue.
The Brooklyn Nets' injury issues have forced them into a tough corner. With many of their players called up from the G-League, the Nets will have to ride out the worst to stay competitive.
Key Player - Patty Mills
Patty Mills could be key to the Brooklyn Nets' success going forward. Coming off another clutch performance against the Toronto Raptors, Mills showed that he can step up to the plate and contribute when called upon.
Patty Mills in his 13th season:
Career-high 13.3 PPG
Career-high 3.2 3PG
Career-high 44.7 3P%
(Submitted by @StevieCozens) https://t.co/H4VnSfeqFB
To support Kevin Durant at the offensive end, the Brooklyn Nets need other players to step in. The burden carried by Durant in the absence of star players such as James Harden and Kyrie Irving has been immense. However, the superstar always finds a way to perform.
In light of key role players also being sidelined, the Brooklyn Nets will need Patty Mills to step up and provide instant offense as a three-point threat for the side.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
G - Patty Mills | G - David Duke | F - Kevin Durant | F - Blake Griffin | C - Nicolas Claxton.
76ers vs Nets Match Prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets game is a marquee matchup on Wednesday night. However, with many players sidelined for the Nets, the match looks one-sided on paper.
However, given the inconsistency of the Philadelphia 76ers as a team, Brooklyn stand a good chance of emerging winners. Philadelphia's starting rotation has some solid contributors, but their bench tends to shrink.
That may seem like a tough task for the Nets, considering the dominant playing style of Joel Embiid. However, if Brooklyn's high-octane offense gets going early on, Philadelphia could have a tough time on the night.
Where to watch 76ers vs Nets game?
The Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets game will be broadcast on NBA TV. The game will be locally broadcast on YES. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can listen to the game on radio by tuning into WFAM-FM.