PHILADELPHIA _ The 76ers were unable to flip on the postseason switch.
As a result, they find themselves trailing Brooklyn Nets, 1-0, in the best-of-seven opening round playoff series. The Nets built a commanding 17-point cushion and held on for a 110-100 Game 1 victory at Wells Fargo Center.
The Sixers will look to improve before the squads square off in Game 2 Monday night at the center.
It was obvious that offensive inconsistency and defensive woes that doomed the Sixers in the regular season haven't been resolved. And yes, the home crowd let them hear about it. They started booing midway through the first quarter.
By the fourth quarter, they were booing loudly after most breaks in action. Their action didn't just come across poorly on the court.
An ESPN camera spotted Sixers reserve Amir Johnson and Joel Embiid viewing something on a cell phone in the fourth quarter.
On the floor, Jimmy Butler was one of the team's few bright spots. The swingman finished with a playoff-career-high 36 points to go with nine rebounds. Meanwhile, the Sixers' other starters had struggled from the field.
Embiid had 22 points and 15 rebounds after being a game-time decision with tendinitis in his left knee. However, the two-time All-Star center made just 5 of 15 shots.
Ben Simmons had nine points on 4-of-9 shooting. However, his final numbers are misleading. Simmons was 2 for 6 through three quarters.
Tobias Harris (four points) and JJ Redick (five points) both shot 2 for 7 from the field. Redick fouled out with 5 minutes, 10 seconds left.
D'Angelo Russell paced the Nets with 26 points. Nineteen of his points came after intermission.
The Sixers shot 40.7 percent from the field and just 12 percent (3 of 25) on 3-pointers. Defensively, they gave up a lot of wide open looks on 3-pointers. The Nets took advantage, making 11 of 26.
