Brooklyn Nets Spencer Dinwiddie
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets beat the Philadelphia 76ers to win their third straight and exorcize some of their fourth-quarter demons.

  • Brooklyn Nets 112 (11-18)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (19-10)
  • NBA, Final, Box Score
  • Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Wednesday night’s clash between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers shared striking similarities with their meeting on Nov. 25.

The difference in this one may have come down to the fact that Jimmy Butler wasn’t playing due to an injured groin.

In both meetings, the Sixers couldn’t stop the Nets for most of the game. But Philly wasn’t able to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit without their closer.

The Nets were led by far-too-early Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Spencer Dinwiddie. The dynamic combo guard was hitting from everywhere, finishing with a career-high 39 points. His three-pointer was dropping, but more importantly, he was attacking the basket.

Dinwiddie was instrumental in securing the victory late in the fourth quarter. The Sixers made a last-ditch effort to steal one late, much like they did in November, but Dinwiddie wasn’t having any of it.

Joel Embiid put up ridiculous numbers on Wednesday, but second-half adjustments from Kenny Atkinson were crucial in taking Embiid out of his game and allowing the Nets to open up a lead in the third quarter.

Embiid finished with 33 points, but 23 of those came in the first half. Atkinson leaned heavily on Ed Davis in the second half and Jarrett Allen was mostly relegated to the bench. Atkinson had the magic touch. Davis’ defensive presence took Embiid out of his game and slowed down everything Philly was trying to do offensively.

This victory gives the Nets three in a row after their brutal eight-game losing streak. The Nets move to 11-18 on the season and they are starting to look like they’ve turned the corner with Dinwiddie playing the leading role. Despite being seven games under .500, the Nets are still in the playoff picture due to the lack of depth in the Eastern Conference

The Nets have not had a winning streak longer than four games this season, but they’ll look to change that on Friday. The Nets will return to Brooklyn for a matchup with the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.