Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Live NBA Preseason Updates, Scores and Highlights

Not a lot of postgame quotes are coming out of this one, so let's close here: Even if you don't view the Sixers as the biggest or second-biggest threat to come out of the Eastern Conference, we have enough evidence through two preseason games—and one starting-five appearance—to know the offensive dynamic will work.

LeBron seems content to jump-start the offense, including fast-break opportunities, while filling in scoring gaps as needed. Tyrese Maxey's deadeye shooting and dizzying drives scale to every possible lineup. VJ Edgecombe looks comfortable running the floor, cutting baseline and defending.

Joel Embiid did not seem totally comfortable at either end. But he'll find his game legs, even if he doesn't have much overall pop left in him. Jaylen Brown felt a little M.I.A. with the starting unit, but he and VJ will get their on-ball touches in staggered units.

The defense and rebounding leave much to be desired. But the flashes we saw from the starting five were encouraging. And there is more come.

"Some good, some bad."

—Nick Nurse on the starters.

HANG THE BANNER, PHILLY.

Oh, you thought LeBron ended up in Philly because the team traded for Jaylen Brown? Or because of his connection to president of basketball operations Mike Gansey?

Nah. It was totally because the Sixers signed Dean Wade, the ultimate glue guy.

Remove the tongue-in-cheekiness of this post from the equation, and Philly is still fortunate it bagged Dean Wade. He can guard on the perimeter. He hits just enough threes to keep defenses semi-honest. And perhaps most importantly relative to their mounting injuries on the frontline, Wade can slide up to play minutes as the de facto 5.

Eight turnovers is a lot. And with the exception of a stop he secured on the super-fast Nolan Traoré, Embiid didn't feel like much of a defensive deterrent.

But, like, this is Game 1.

Defensive concerns might persist long term. Especially when he's playing alongside a 40-something LeBron. Rest assured, though, Embiid's turnover issues won't be this dire.

So many were issues of timing—bad passes and poor spatial awareness. That'll improve as he gets more familiar with not only LeBron and Jaylen Brown, but some of the Sixers' reserves, too.

Because hey, why not?

The culture Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez is building in Brooklyn deserves some shine. No snark intended.

Last year's Nets squad always played hard. This year's roster is shaping up the same way—and is more talented.

FINAL SCORE: Nets 114, Sixers 108

If the Sixers don't already have plans to convert Caleb Love from his two-way contract to a standard NBA deal later this season, they must immediately add "create the flexibility necessary to do so" to their agenda.

Score: Nets 112, Sixers 108 | 0:37 remaining in the fourth quarter

This is bonkers. And makes me feel ancient.

This was an overall encouraging performance from LeBron. He clearly had a focus on getting the ball up the floor and setting up his teammates, which impacted his scoring. So long as he doesn't care about his numbers, though, this feels like the right call.

Philly has enough scorers to carry its offense. The playmaking is a different story. Apart from LeBron, and with all due respect to Tyrese Maxey, nobody else on the roster is an A-level passer.

No, this doesn't mean James needs to lead the league in assists while averaging fewer points per game than Draymond Green. But his debut in a Sixers uniform may have offered a glimpse into his mindset entering the regular season.

Oh, and although his defense was hardly spectacular, it doesn't look like LeBron's battle with arthritis or sciatica will preclude him from being, you know, good at basketball.

After a relatively quiet first half, Jaylen Brown turned on the jets in the third quarter to once again the lead the Sixers in scoring.

While this goes down as another quality outing from him, the four shots he attempted through the first two quarters are worth clocking. He predominantly played with the starters and didn't enjoy a ton of volume.

Nothing is etched in stone. Still, Brown may need to use secondary lineups as his dinner time if LeBron James and Joel Embiid are going to be central focuses when the team is at full strength.

Noah Clowney turned some heads last year with his three-point volume and ability to draw fouls (perhaps grift) on drives. If he can make more of those triples while offering more defensive malleability, Brooklyn may have someone who's rotation material on a good team.

There was a time earlier in the offseason when it looked like the Sixers might move on from Jabari Walker to make way for all of their other moves while staying under the first apron.

Good thing they went a different direction.

Score: Nets 90, Sixers 79 | 1:02 remaining in the third quarter

Here are their final lines:

Look at Julius Randle crashing to the floor in pursuit of a loose ball. I'm torn between celebrating this effort and wanting to tell him, "Chill. It's only preseason."

The Sixers are treating Jaylen Brown as the No. 1 option to open the second half. That's pretty notable considering Joel Embiid is also on the floor.

Meanwhile, between its pushes on the break and by virtue of having Embiid, Brown and LeBron James, it's starting to feel like Philly may live at the free-throw line this year.

Score: Nets 74, Sixers 68 | 6:21 remaining in the third quarter

Tyrese Maxey feels like the right answer. But you could talk yourself into Jaylen Brown or, on a per-game basis, Joel Embiid if the Sixers feature them heavily on the ball.

LeBron is dealing with arthritis and sciatica, so this makes sense. Maxey played in the Sixers' first game against the Knicks, so pulling him makes sense, too.

Leaving Embiid and Brown, in particular, out there is legitimately interesting. Head coach Nick Nurse could be trying to get a feel for what could be some of his primary secondary units.

It looked like the Sixers might pull away for a hot minute, but the Nets came storming back.

Julius Randle (10 points) has not shot the ball well but is putting pressure on the teeth of Philly's defense. Egor Dёmin (11 points) looks extremely confident on the rock. Chaney Johnson might be a guy. My Drake Powell stock is plummeting.

The story for the Sixers in that first half is as follows:

Tyrese Maxey can dominate as a member of any offense. LeBron James is still a top-20 NBA player entering Year 24. Embiid needs to cut down on the live-ball turnovers, of which he has SEVEN at the half. VJ Edgecombe is the Energizer Bunny on steroids. And Jaylen Brown (four shots in nearly 17 minutes) may need a few beats to find his wheelhouse in Philly's loaded offense.

Score: Sixers 58, Nets 56 | HALFTIME

Between Joel Embiid's question-mark health and the Sixers' lack of properly sized big men behind him, the Sixers will need to get creative on defense this season. They're certainly doing that against the Nets.

Granted, it hasn't always worked. The Sixers are hemorrhaging offensive rebounds and not forcing many turnovers. But the put-Edgecombe-or-Maxey-on-size ploy has been legitimately interesting. Ditto for some of Philly's closeouts onto Brooklyn's shooters.

We interrupt this stream-of-conscious preseason game with an important update: Labaron Philon Jr. has a Michael Myers tattoo.

I'm not saying this should guarantee him a spot in the regular-season rotation. I'm not not saying it, either.

It took almost the entire first half, but LeBron has made his live-ball shot with the Sixers!

Paint me shocked it wasn't off a drive. Color me unsurprised he attempted to initiate contact on an otherwise gimme bucket.

Score: Sixers 42, Nets 41 | 5:27 remaining in the second quarter

Honestly, this might even be 4K.

Multiple imaginary sources confirm LeBron will be sending Embiid straight to bed after the game without any dessert.

LeBron now has more no-look assists (two) than appearances in a Sixers uniform (one).

This is the second straight game Labaron Philon Jr. has looked ultra-comfortable working away from the ball. And he's also got plenty of derring-do on it.

With all due respect to Anfernee Simons, Philly's rookie might need to get actual minutes this season.

Biggest takeaways for the Sixers from that first quarter:

Score: Nets 33, Sixers 33 | End of the first quarter

Nolan Traoré is FAST fast.

We won't even mention the Sixers' interior defense. Instead, it's your move, VJ Edgecombe.

...a trillion chills, apparently.

Embiid putting the clamps on a speedster like Nolan Traoré is a good sign. But the Nets are relentlessly attacking him, like he's supposed to be the weak point of Philly's defense. That's something to monitor moving forward.

Also something to monitor:

The ball movement. LeBron's no-look bounce pass. Edgecombe's baseline cut.

This is basketball porn.

Zero field-goal attempts for LeBron halfway through first quarter is actually insane. Then again, the Sixers have more than enough scoring . Maybe this is a sign of things to come.

Totally unrelated: Anybody got odds on LeBron leading the league in assists per game this season?

Egor Dëmin just made LeBron look his age. And maybe even older.

Score: Sixers 15, Nets 15 | 6:37 remaining in the first quarter

It feels fitting that LeBron's first assist with the Sixers not only went to VJ Edgecombe, but came on a transition bucket following a Nets make.

Translation: This Philly team is going to run.

OK, watching shaved-head LeBron do this in a Sixers jersey is objectively weird. Still cool. But weird.

Important note: This game is taking place in Brooklyn. LOL.

On the one hand, that's a lot of points. On the other hand, tHeRe Is OnLy OnE bAlL.

(Philly will be fine.)

What a time to be alive.

Get ready to play center, LeBron. And Dean Wade. And Jabari Walker.

Projected starters Mikel Brown Jr. and Day'Ron Sharpe are both out, but even so, running with Julius Randle or Noah Clowney as your de facto small forward is certainly a choice.

No matter how old you are or where your NBA loyalties lie, don't you dare for a second feel sheepish if you're stoked to see Philly's starting five in action.

Case in point: Even the Sixers organization can't contain their excitement. They're basically that six-year-old staying up to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

We know who's in the Sixers' starting five. But something about seeing it typed out on screen makes it somehow feel more surreal and ridiculous.

Everybody will surely have a measured reaction to how LeBron, Embiid, Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe fare during their first live-game stint together.

(No, seriously, this is exciting.)