Nets vs 76ers Game 2 Picks and Predictions: Bridges Held in Check in G2

The Philadelphia 76ers’ barrage of 3-point buckets and 20-point blowout win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals has them laying double digits against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 tonight.

Philadelphia finished 21-for-43 from beyond the arc in the series opener, eventually breaking Brooklyn in the second half for a 121-101 victory as an 8.5-point home favorite Saturday. NBA odds opened the Game 2 spread a tick higher and money siding with the Sixers has puffed this point spread to double figures.

Is the adjustment warranted? I break down the spread and Over/Under total for Monday’s matchup and give my best NBA picks and predictions for Nets at 76ers on April 17.

Nets vs 76ers Game 2 best odds

Nets vs 76ers Game 2 picks and predictions

It was a tale of two halves for Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges in Game 1 of this series.

Bridges led the charge for Brooklyn from the opening whistle, sparking a 63% shooting clip from the Nets in the first half with a 10-for-16 start from the field and 23 points at the break. However, things didn’t come as easy for Bridges in the second half as the Philadelphia 76ers adjusted their defensive approach to the Nets’ standout guard.

Philadelphia threw extra bodies at Bridges and picked him up quickly after he crossed half, taking him out of his offensive rhythm. Bridges shot the ball only twice in the second half — making both attempts — and finished with seven points in the final 24 minutes.

“It’s not easy being the star or being the main guy,” said 76ers center Joel Embiid, who told the media they let Bridges get too comfortable in the first half. “As soon as we saw that, we just doubled him, got the ball out of his hands, and it worked out well for us.”

With Bridges nullified, the rest of the Nets came up short in the second half, with the team amassing only 43 total points and shooting success sinking to less than 47% from the floor. Given the offensive limitations of Brooklyn’s supporting cast, Bridges should expect the same smothering treatment in tonight’s Game 2 with the Sixers asking the rest of the Nets to beat them.

Bridges finished with 30 points on Saturday and topped his point total of 26.5 — just the third time he’s gone Over that market in the past seven games. However, with the Game 2 Over/Under projecting a lower-scoring finish (213 points) and the pace of play ranked as the slowest series in the playoffs, Bridges getting past an identical total of 26.5 points tonight is a stretch.

His point projections for Game 2 range from as short as 23.5 to as big as 27.3 points. My number comes in on the shorter end at 23.9 with 25 as the ceiling. Add in the fact that Philly may have figured out this Brooklyn offense already, and Bridges won’t be spotted another hot start tonight.

My best bet: Mikal Bridges Under 26.5 points (-107)

Nets vs 76ers Game 2 spread analysis

After Philadelphia’s Game 1 win, bookies opened the 76ers as 9.5-point home chalk — a point higher than the closing line from the series opener on Saturday. It didn’t take long for that line to creep to Philly -10, which is where it sits at most shops on Monday morning.

While the Sixers finished with a 20-point gap on the scoreboard, Brooklyn didn’t exactly get blown away in the opener. Philadelphia was fantastic from beyond the arc, but the Nets made runs to tighten the game in the second half and finished shooting almost 56% from the field.

Those 21 triples from the 76ers along with 20 turnovers from Brooklyn — which Philadelphia flipped into 31 easy points — were the ultimate difference when the final whistle blew. The Nets don’t have the firepower to counter those errors with offense, even when they’ve shot that well.

While I don’t expect that many triples from the 76ers in Game 2, this is one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. Philadelphia was a league-best 39.3% from distance since the All-Star break and that success from outside really makes Brooklyn pick its poison: crowd Joel Embiid inside and give up 3-pointers or guard the arc and let the MVP go to work?

Nets head coach Jacques Vaughn saw success by focusing attention on Embiid, who was slow out of the gates and could stick with that plan on defense, emphasizing the effort needed to recover from double teams and close out on shooters quickly.

However, if the Nets don’t take care of the basketball, the Sixers could continue to punish them with points off turnovers (ranking ninth in that category). And Brooklyn needs to do a much better job winning the 50/50 balls, as Philly wrangled 14 offensive rebounds and recorded 21 second-chance points.

The 10-point spread is warranted when you consider just how many ways the Sixers can score the ball. On the season, Philadelphia laid 10+ points in 11 games and went 8-3 SU and ATS as double-digit chalk.

Nets vs 76ers Game 2 Over/Under analysis

The Game 1 final score played Over the closing total of 213.5 points but not by much, especially when you consider the Sixers sunk 21 triples and the Nets shot almost 56% from the field.

The Game 2 Over/Under opened at 214.5 points and has since shrunk to 213.5, with a regression expected from both offenses tonight.

The series opener also saw plenty of easier buckets from Philadelphia with 31 points off turnovers and 21 second-chance points, thanks to dominance on the offensive glass. Brooklyn cleaning up those mistakes and battling on the boards even a bit more should trim those outputs as well.

Saturday’s showdown was played at a very slow rate, posting a pace of 90.50 — by far the slowest opening matchup of the NBA Playoffs this past weekend. That very much fits the tempo of the 76ers, who prefer to draw out possessions and play in the halfcourt set, anchored by the post play of Embiid.

The Sixers did flex their defensive chops in the second half, most notably putting the clamps on Nets standout Mikal Bridges. He scored 23 points in Brooklyn’s 58-point first-half performance but managed just seven second-half points, as Philadelphia’s focused defensive pressure on him and forced the ball out of his hands.

The rest of the Nets didn’t answer the call in those closing two quarters, as the shooting success slipped and Brooklyn boasted just 43 points in the closing 24 minutes, including only 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Saturday’s result was actually the fourth straight Over for the Sixers going back to the regular season, but much like the Game 1 outcome, those final contests of the schedule had strange variance with Philly parked in its postseason spot and playing out the season with mixed motivations. 

Nets vs 76ers Game 2 betting trend to know

The 76ers are 8-3 SU and ATS when set as favorites of 10+ points this season. The total went 4-6-1 Over/Under in those 11 games with double-digit chalk. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. 76ers.

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