The Nets lost a basketball game to a pro wrestler.
What was supposed to be a night devoted to the newly rejuvenated Nets — Kevin Durant returned after missing two weeks in the protocols, LaMarcus Aldridge again dressed, Kyrie Irving was back though not yet playing and all but one of the roster had been cleared from the COVID-19 reserve list — was interrupted by the pelvic-thrusting, hand-waving, game-dominating whirlwind that was Joel Embiid.
The 76ers superstar showed the Nets up underneath, from the outside and in the aftermath of Philadelphia’s 110-102 victory Thursday night at Barclays Center.
As Embiid put the finishing touches on a 34-point explosion, he put finishing moves on the Nets and their fans. He tipped in a layup with 15.3 seconds left and never stopped jawing in Durant’s direction as both players earned technicals.
After the game was sealed, the teams met at midcourt, and Embiid waved Durant and the Nets (23-10) out of the arena — a similar motion to the one Durant made two weeks ago, when he one-armed his undermanned team to victory and waved the 76ers (19-16) away at the conclusion.
“I’m sure they didn’t like that,” said Durant, who embraced the growing rivalry. “I’m glad that can bring the best out of an opponent. They came out here and played extremely hard, and that’s only going to make me better as a player and us better as a team.”
The Nets had no answers for Embiid all game. They used their first twin-big man starting lineup with Nic Claxton and Aldridge, and also frequently threw Blake Griffin at the Sixers’ 7-footer. But Embiid scored 16 of his 34 points in the first quarter and his biggest put the game away, when he stole a rebound from Aldridge and put in the final points. His mouth never stopped moving until Durant approached him at the foul line and the teams were separated.
“If you’ve been watching Joel and I play against each other, it’s been like that every game, even the All-Star Game,” Durant said after he poured in 33 points in his first game out of the protocols, having missed the past four. “We just respect each other so much that that natural competitive fire comes out.”
After the last tip-in, Embiid gave a thrust and pumped his arms at his waist, the competitive fire unfortunately being released.
“If there was one player that I think is probably more talented than me, it’s definitely [Durant],” Embiid told reporters after the Sixers gave the Nets their second loss in eight games. “I have a lot of respect for him.”
Overshadowed by the ending were excellent efforts from Durant and James Harden, who also scored 33 points, and the Nets’ inability to stop second-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who scored eight of his 25 points in the last 4:29. Seth Curry added 17 points for Philadelphia.
The Nets were too short and slow to cover Embiid, too shaky from deep (7-for-27 from 3-point range) and too sloppy with the ball (17 turnovers compared with Philly’s seven).
“We weren’t very sharp tonight,” coach Steve Nash said of his Nets, who still lead the Eastern Conference. “We’ve got a lot of things to clean up, but it happens.”
Six of the turnovers belonged to Harden, whose first step has returned, but who has been too careless. He lost the ball with 2:29 to play and the Nets down four, and Curry’s ensuing pull-up 3-pointer was a back-breaker.
Philadelphia shot 40.6 percent from beyond the arc and always had a timely answer whenever it needed. Even Embiid went 3-for-5 from deep and 11-for-23 from the field.
Embiid’s last basket was the largest, and with a display that continued after the final horn sounded, he became an enemy of Barclays Center — even if he and his main target seem to be OK with each other.
“He didn’t say nothing that crossed the line,” said Durant, who smiled much more after the game than during it. “We all respect each other out there. We respect this team. I respect all the players on his team and vice versa.
“It’s just how we play.”
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