RotoWire – Juan Pablo Aravena

A thrilling duel between Radiant and Choc needed to be settled in the overtime of Game 3, but the 76ers came through in the clutch and ended winning a tightly-contested three-game set against the Nets by a 2-1 score.

It was the “Radiant Show” in the first game of the series. 76ers GC didn’t waste any time grabbing an early lead in the first quarter of Game 1, and they quickly built a six-point advantage, 23-17, following the first quarter. They wouldn’t let that advantage slip away, however, and they kept putting pressure on Choc, who has the driving force of the Nets GC offense. As a result, the 76ers pushed their lead even further in both the second — 24-15 — and third — 24-21 — quarters. With a solid 18-point lead for the 76ers entering the final quarter, there wasn’t much the Nets could’ve done to turn things around. Even though they won the final quarter by a 18-11 score, they still dropped Game 1 of the series by a 81-72 score. The Nets, however, showed promise and they would build on that late momentum in Game 2.

As it has been the trend all season long, Radiant was the best player for the 76ers and finished with 55 points, including a blistering 22-for-33 from the field, as well as five assists and three steals. No other 76ers player scored in double digits, although BreadwinnerLA chipped in with six points, six assists and 11 rebounds. Choc led the Nets in Game 1 with 31 points and 11 assists, but he also committed five turnovers. Randomz added 15 points, while Shuttles chipped in with 16 points, nine boards and four dimes.
The Nets would carry their late momentum of the first game into Game 2, though. Much like the 76ers did in Game 1, the Nets quickly grabbed the lead in Game 2 and never let it go. A 21-15 lead following the first quarter quickly became a 40-27 by the time the first half ended, and the 76ers wouldn’t be able to carry themselves out of that hole. Even though they won the third quarter by a 17-13 score, they fell short in their comeback effort and ran out of gas in the final quarter. The Nets didn’t have problems to secure a comfortable 68-58 win in Game 2, pushing the series to a decisive Game 3.

Choc once again delivered 11 assists, but he also supplied 37 points while shooting 14-of-20 from the field. Randomz notched 15 points, and Shuttles produced 12 points with 12 rebounds in what was a strong performance from the Nets all around. Radiant, as always, was the best player for the 76ers with 38 points while shooting 16-of-29 from the field, but the rest of the team wasn’t able to support him. Radiant should take some of the blame for the Game 2 loss, though, as he finished with five turnovers and only three assists.

The flow of the game didn’t change much in Game 3, although it was obvious these two teams already knew the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses. Neither side was able to win each quarter by more than four points, and it was clear this game was going to go down to the wire. The 76ers seemed ready to grab the win, but Choc had a different plan and drilled a corner two-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime, 68-68. The 76ers were the better team in extra time, however, and they managed to close things out with a hard-fought 80-74 win.

Radiant took over the game for the 76ers once again and finished with 53 points and eight assists — the star point guard averaged 48.7 points per game during the three-game set against the Nets. He had support from his teammates this time, however, as Scretty notched 14 points while BreadwinnerLA came just one point away from a double-double; he finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. Choc did what he could for the Nets since he delivered 32 points and 12 assists, but his efforts weren’t enough despite averaging a double-double in the series. Shuttles also posted a strong performance with 22 points and 12 rebounds in Game 3.