Philadelphia 76ers SWEEP Brooklyn Nets 4-0 to book Eastern Conference semi-final spot

Tobias Harris had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-88 on Saturday, completing a sweep that made them the first team to reach the second round of the playoffs.

James Harden added 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the third-seeded 76ers, who will wait for the winner of the series between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. The defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics have a 2-1 lead.

The 76ers hope Embiid will be recover from his sprained right knee in time for the start of the next series; the MVP finalist and two-time NBA scoring champion was ruled out Friday night and the 76ers struggled to score without him.

So they turned to their defense, and ended up outscoring the Nets 21-4 during a stretch of more than eight minutes in the third quarter.

Tyrese Maxey finished a strong series with 16 points and Paul Reed added 10 points and 15 rebounds after replacing Embiid in the starting lineup.

Tobias Harris (left) and Tyrese Maxey were on form to help the Sixers sweep the Nets

Maxey celebrates during the game as Philly ensured they left Brooklyn with a 4-0 series win

The Philly players were without MVP-candidate Joel Embiid, but it didn’t matter

Nic Claxton looks dejected during the Nets’ loss, which knocked them out of the playoffs

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points and Nic Claxton had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who were swept for the second straight year and have lost 10 straight postseason games. They went 0-8 this season against the 76ers.

Embiid went to the locker room early in Game 3 and was limping a couple times later in the game, but had a blocked shot to preserve a two-point lead with 8.8 seconds left and said afterward he was OK. But coach Doc Rivers said Embiid was complaining of soreness behind his knee and already had swelling shortly after the game. An MRI exam revealed the sprain.

Dorian Finney-Smith´s 3-pointer two minutes into the third quarter made it 53-42, matching the Nets´ largest lead of the game. But Harden and P.J. Tucker hit consecutive 3s to get the Sixers started on what became a 14-0 run that made it 56-53 on Reed´s basket.

Maxey´s 3-pointer extended it to 63-57 with 1:49 remaining in the period, capping the Nets’ lengthy drought that would have seemed unimaginable when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were in Brooklyn.

Mikal Bridges (left) and James Harden watch on during Game 4 of the match-up in Brooklyn

Claxton and Paul Reed had an enticing battle throughout the game at the Barclays Center

Harden shoots as Joe Harris (left) watches on during Game 4 of the Round 1 playoff game

Harris is fouled by Shake Milton while fighting for a rebound in the second quarter

They were both dealt at midseason, and this team went down just as quickly as the one they led last season, when Brooklyn was also the first team eliminated after getting swept by Boston.

Embiid averaged only 20 points in the series, 13 below his NBA-leading average of 33.1, as the Nets heavily double-teamed him.

But those double-teams were leaving open looks for their guards that weren´t available Saturday, and the Sixers were just 2 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half as the Nets led 48-40.

But the 76ers limited them to 40 points in the second half and eventually pulled away to a 14-point lead as the cheers of the Sixers fans in the building grew louder.

Claxton blocks a shot by Harden during Game 4 of the Round 1 playoff series in New York

Brooklyn Nets star Claxton goes to the net as Maxey watches on from behind him

Fans watch on in anticipation as Harris goes for a three-point basket against the 76ers