Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets: Postgame Grades and Analysis

The Brooklyn Nets bounced back from a three-game skid to topple the Philadelphia 76ers 95-92 in a hard-fought encounter at the Barclays Center Sunday night.

After getting out to a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Nets hung on to record a gritty win against the Sixers, who despite fighting back to tie the game in the fourth, could not close out the game well enough to win.

Not even a big night from Jrue Holiday was enough to get Philly another road win here, leaving them at 13-15 for the season and 4-4 against their divisional opponents. Brooklyn, on the other hand, moved to 14-12 for the year and 6-2 against their division.

Read on for full grades and analysis of both teams.

Point Guards

Deron Williams, PG, Nets: B-

It wasn't the most spectacular night from Williams against a tough Sixers defense, but the Brooklyn Nets star still managed to do enough to get the job done in this one.

Williams finished the night as the team's second-highest scorer with 16 and also chalked up five assists to match. His plus/minus was the highest for the team and, while he did pick up five fouls, it is hard to fault the guard too much in terms of turnovers or game management here.

Williams was solid without being spectacular. 

Jrue Holiday, PG, 76ers: A

A huge night from Holiday almost brought the 76ers back in the fourth quarter, but not even his 24-point night was enough to hold off the Nets in this one.

The guard finished one assist shy of a double-double with nine assists—capping off a tremendous night for the 22-year-old, but one that would have felt a lot better if the Sixers had been able to pick up the win.

Still, it's hard to find fault with Holiday's performance. He went 9-of-16 from the field and didn't miss from deep.

Shooting Guards

Joe Johnson, SG, Nets: A

The Nets best player on the night, Johnson finished with a team-high 22 points plus seven rebounds and two assists against the Sixers—sparking the drive for their attack all night.

The shooting guard did tie for the most turnovers for any player on the night, but after shutting down Jason Richardson at one end and racking up 22 points at the other, it's hard to find too much fault with the Nets star.

This was a very strong night from Johnson, who made some clutch free throws down the stretch that ensured victory for the Nets.

Jason Richardson, SG, 76ers: D-

This was a night that Richardson will likely try and forget very quickly.

The Sixers guard finished with just five points and an assist during his 30 minutes on the court—turning the ball over twice and picking up four fouls in the process.

And whilst those numbers might not seem that bad, keep in mind that he made just two field goals from his 10 attempts on the night—including five attempts from deep. Surely there comes a point when a player should just stop shooting, and Richardson should have done that a lot earlier than he did.

In a three-point loss, it was his performance that killed the 76ers.

Small Forward

Keith Bogans, SF, Nets: B-

Bogans chalked up 13 points against the 76ers, including three three-pointers from just four attempts, but failed to offer a whole lot else in this one.

The 32-year-old finished with just two rebounds and three assists to his name, earning him a solid but unspectacular mark of a B-minus here.

Evan Turner, SF, 76ers: B-

Turner played more minutes than any other Sixers player on the night, and whilst he did come up with some big plays at the right time, he couldn't quite get the job done in the final minutes—dropping his grade just that little bit more than he probably deserves.

He finished the night with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds, all of which came at the defensive end of the court, and was key in keeping the Nets from picking up many second-chance points in this one.

Power Forward

Gerald Wallace, PF, Nets: A

Gerard Wallace had a strong and complete game for the Nets on Sunday night—getting it done on both ends of the court and showing his composure down the stretch as well.

The forward finished the night with 14 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals to post a very strong stat line, but his ability to get to the free-throw line throughout the game also proved to be huge for the Nets. Wallace converted on seven of his eight trips to the charity stripe.

The combination of Wallace and Brook Lopez is continuing to develop throughout the season and will no doubt hold the Nets in good stead for the remainder of the year.

Thaddeus Young, PF, 76ers: B+

Somewhat overshadowed by Jrue Holiday's big night was the impressive performance by Thaddeus Young, who established himself as a presence inside and caused problems for the Nets defense all night long.

Young recorded 18 points and 10 assists on the night—while notably picking up four offensive boards as well—and was strong shooting the ball from inside the arc. He didn't excel too high above his 15 points-per-game season average, but looked good at times—particularly in the second half—and almost stole the win back for Philly in the final quarter with some clutch shots.

Center

Brook Lopez, C, Nets: B-

Despite only playing 27 minutes, Lopez was again strong for the Nets, finishing the night with 14 points and seven rebounds against the Sixers' strong defense.

Lopez led the Nets in offensive boards also, and his zero turnovers on the night were telling in the Nets' ability to always stay ahead of their opponents.

Lavoy Allen did get the better of Lopez at times, which does drop Lopez's score down from where it could have been but, overall, it was another strong night for the 24-year-old.

Lavoy Allen, C, 76ers: B

Lavoy Allen had a tough matchup against Brook Lopez in this one, but the Sixers center certainly held his own and managed to post a strong performance despite the pressure he received inside.

Allen finished the night with 12 points and nine rebounds, but it was his five offensive boards that caused the most havoc for Brooklyn throughout the night and kept Philly in the game.

He also chalked up the highest plus/minus of any starting player.

Bench

Brooklyn Nets: B

Thanks to key contributions from Andray Blatche (10 points, four rebounds) and some huge offensive rebounds from Reggie Evans, Brooklyn's bench performed well tonight—but it will certainly need to step up its game against some of the better teams in the league.

The Nets' bench made just seven field goals from its 19 attempts. However, it was able to keep its turnovers limited and got the job done defensively to make up for its offensive struggles.

Philadelphia 76ers: B-

For a team that really only used three bench players—Spencer Hawes, Dorell Wright and Nick Young—Philly's bench certainly wasn't disgraced tonight by the Nets.

The trio chalked up 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists between them to record a strong bench performance as a unit. Wright in particular had a key impact on those around him, finishing with the highest plus/minus of any player in the game—a whopping plus-16.

The Sixers' bench was let down by its shooting accuracy, however. The unit made just six of its 21 attempts throughout the contest, which, in a three-point loss, proved to be key.

What did you make of the Nets' victory over the 76ers?

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