Stephen A. Smith blasts Nets after loss to severely shorthanded Sixers

The Nets' loss came despite the Sixers missing their top three scorers in Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and James Harden. Embiid is nursing a foot injury and has already been ruled out for Philadelphia's Wednesday contest against the Charlotte Hornets.

Maxey is out for three to four weeks with a foot injury and Harden has missed nearly all of November with a foot issue as well. Despite the host of ailments to key players, the Sixers enter Wednesday within the early season Eastern Conference playoff picture at 9-8.

After a tumultuous start to the 2022-2023 campaign in which they lost six of their first eight games, Brooklyn had seemed to be turning a corner prior to Tuesday's setback. The team had four out of five and six of their last nine before falling to the Sixers.

The Nets are 8-10 and set to take on the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday on the road. Brooklyn went 2-5 under Steve Nash before he was let go in a mutual decision and are 6-5 with Jacque Vaughn at the helm.