On the second half of a back-to-back, the Brooklyn Nets traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Sixers — who were without All-Star center Joel Embiid. On Dec. 15, the Nets defeated Philly at the Barclays Center without Caris LeVert and Kyrie Irving, so with both guards back in the lineup, one would hope a similar outcome would result — right?

In a game where neither team led by double-digits, the Nets and Sixers battled tooth-and-nail. It was fun to watch, but for Nets fans, it would have been smart to shut the TV off after the third quarter. Despite being a close game down the stretch, the Nets could not outlast Philly due to a collection of momentum-swinging plays made by Ben Simmons and company. In a season of nail-biting losses, blown leads, and plain disappointment, the Nets lost yet another close game. Tobias Harris’s 34 point performance — including his fourth-quarter domination — was too much for Brooklyn to handle.

Entering the fourth, the Nets led 90-86. At that point, the Sixers had not possessed the lead since early in the second quarter. While Brooklyn did not dominate the first three quarters, they did have a palpable edge over Philly, but fatigue played a big role in this game. The Nets have played three games in the last four days, while the Sixers were well-rested.

The Nets seemed to lose every ounce of energy and hustle, and to make matters worse, they shot an abhorrent 18-30 at the free-throw line. If the Nets made just six more free throws, the game would have gone much differently.

In the first half, the Nets came out firing from beyond the arc. Brooklyn went 8-14 (57.1 percent) from deep, but shot themselves in the foot by committing seven turnovers. The Nets went on to make only four three-pointers in the second half.

That is not a recipe for success, especially against a talented team in the Sixers.

At the end of the first half, DeAndre Jordan suffered a dislocated right middle finger and did not return to action. In his stead, Nic Claxton would normally fill in, but the rookie is currently playing for the Long Island Nets. That left Rodions Kurucs — who has played well as of late — as Brooklyn’s next tallest man (6’9). But it was Wilson Chandler who filled the role, albeit for just a few minutes.

Jordan’s presence would have been very helpful in the second half, as the Nets allowed a whopping 13 offensive rebounds, allowing the Sixers to capitalize on extended possessions.

The Nets will have to wait until Saturday to rebound from back-to-back losses. They will play their first game against the unstoppable Milwaukee Bucks.