Embiid dominates, gets the 4th off in rout of Nets

Easy like a Sunday morning.

The Sixers improved to 10-3 on the season when they took down the Brooklyn Nets 121-99 Sunday afternoon. Joel Embiid put up 32 points along with 12 rebounds and nine assists in just 31 minutes of action.

Philly’s backcourt shot lights out, as Tyrese Maxey went for 25 points, shooting 6-of-11 from deep while De’Anthony Melton had 21 points shooting 8-of-10 from the field.

Nico Batum returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous three games.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• *insert obligatory “what on earth are the Nets wearing???” here.
• It’s safe to say that De’Anthony Melton has broken out of his slump. He came into today shooting 41% from three on the young season. He had eight in the opening quarter knocking down a pair of threes.
• Embiid had a solid start as well, working his way to 13 first-quarter points. Unfortunately for the Sixers, the rest of their teammates seemed to have a lid on the rim. Sixers not named Embiid or Melton shot 1-of-9 in the frame. That was still good enough to hold a one-point lead after a sluggish first.

Second Quarter

• There haven't been many instances so far this season, but the quarter opens up with a lot of Tobi Time. Harris made his first couple baskets, but the amount of Brooklyn’s wings made his matchup hunting fairly ineffective.
• Nick Nurse rarely had all 15 guys available this year, but there have still been some weird lineups this year. Marcus Morris Sr. played six straight minutes while Robert Covington didn’t see the floor in the second.
• While Maxey’s shot wasn’t falling in this half either, he had a very positive impact on the offense. Both him and Embiid took advantage of the Brooklyn defense collapsing hard on them. Maxey had eight assists in the half, Embiid had five of his own while the team only turned the ball over once. That went a long way in making up for ugly shooting numbers.

• Maxey was certainly the best playmaker on the floor for Philly in the half, but Embiid upstaged him with the fanciest pass. The Sixers held a 12-point lead at the break.

Third Quarter

• Brooklyn did a good job of making it hard for Maxey to get to his floater, but the three-pointer he hit right before the half got him into a rhythm. He hit three more from deep to open the third and give the Sixers more breathing room.

• There have been two, genuinely just two teammates Embiid has played with over the years who can throw a good post-entry pass. One of them is James Harden, the other is Nicolas Batum.
• Everything is clearly going right for Melton when he’s making shots from inside the arc as well. Through three quarters he was 4-of-4 on his layup attempts, a vast improvement from his drives earlier this week.
• Embiid’s night of good decision making continued, as he dished out four more assists in the third. Twice he caught the ball in motion around the elbow and found Covington quickly on the block, it’s encouraging to see him run that action a lot. The Sixers cruised to a 23-point lead after the third.

Fourth Quarter

• Having a point guard who would step into a three-pointer from the logo has been a pipe dream for the Sixers for so long.

• Jaden Springer should keep seeing more minutes. He had a really nice day on offense, going for 10 points, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep.
• The Sixers will head back home to wrap up group play of the In-Season Tournament. They’ll take on the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.