Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Game 1: Lineups, prediction, live stream info
By Ian Levy
The Nets and 76ers kick off the NBA Playoffs with Game 1 Saturday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know to watch.
The NBA Playoffs begin with quadruple-headers on both Saturday and Sunday. Game 1 between the Nets and 76ers gets the honor of kicking things off in the earliest slot on Saturday.
A lot of the personal animosity is out of this matchup with Ben Simmons out for the duration of the season and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving having been traded away from the Nets. But there is still plenty of talent on both sides to make this a fascinating series.
Nets vs. 76ers projected starting lineups:
No significant rotation players for either team are listed on the injury report. That leaves us with this as the probable starting lineups:
Brooklyn Nets
- PG — Spencer Dinwiddie
- SG — Mikal Bridges
- SF — Cam Johnson
- PF — Dorian Finney-Smith
- C — Nic Claxton
Philadelphia 76ers
- PG — James Harden
- SG — Tyrese Maxey
- SF — P.J. Tucker
- PF — Tobias Harris
- C — Joel Embiid
How to watch Nets vs. 76ers in the NBA Playoffs
Date: Saturday, Apr. 15
Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Arena: Wells Fargo Center
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, FuboTV (free seven-day trial)
Nets vs. 76ers prediction:
The 76ers have more talent on paper and the power to batter the Nets with Joel Embiid in the paint. However, the length and switchability of the Nets sets the table for them to try and swarm Philly’s ball-handlers, causing chaos and pushing things toward a frenetic pace. Mikal Bridges has been phenomenal since joining the Nets and will carry the scoring and creation load for Brooklyn’s offense. However, the 76ers have a chip on their shoulder and will be looking to make a statement in Game 1. I would expect Philadelphia to come out strong and put this one away early, leaving the Nets to wait for some complacency to really make their challenge later in the series.
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