Who has the edge in Sixers-Nets? Philly has Joel Embiid, but Brooklyn has the element of surprise.

Who has the edge heading into Game 1 of the 76ers’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets?

Do the Sixers hold an advantage because they have Joel Embiid, the NBA’s most unstoppable player? Or do the Nets have it because of their new iteration of players, a group the Sixers aren’t accustomed to competing against?

As one of the NBA’s best teams, the Sixers are heavily favored to win the best-of-seven series. But it may take a game or two to adjust to the Nets and their defensive switching.

So, again, who has the edge before the teams tip off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center?

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On Tuesday, the Sixers put in their initial game plan and did their best to make sure it’s them.

“We did a lot of skeleton work at full speed,” coach Doc Rivers said following practice. “We really emphasized playing and keep playing versus all their switching and all that stuff, you know?

“We were great, but it was skeleton.”

The Sixers swept this season’s four regular-season meetings with their Atlantic Division foe. Key players from both teams sat out Sunday’s season-finale at the Barclays Center.

Their first two series victories came when Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons were actually playing for the Nets. They then defeated the new-look Nets, 101-98, on Feb. 11 at the Barclays Center. That came after Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, Durant was sent to the Phoenix Suns, and Simmons was no longer in Brooklyn’s starting lineup. Simmons was later shut down for the season to nurse a back injury.

Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson were making their Nets debut after being acquired from Phoenix. It was the second game as Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie, who were acquired from Dallas. As a result, center Nic Claxton was the only member of the starting lineup who had been with Brooklyn longer than five days.

“I think it was just a good game,” Rivers said. “They played great. You can make a case they should have won the game, really. ... I think they outplayed us in that game. We didn’t play great, but they did. Give them credit.”

The Nets looked like one might expect a group of players on the court together for the first time.

Johnson, a standout shooter, made just 2 of 8 three-pointers. Spencer Dinwiddie shot 2-for-10 from the field, including missing his four three-pointers. And while they played hard, the Nets were out of sync.

The Sixers needed 37 points and 13 rebounds from Embiid and 29 points from James Harden to win the game. And it would have gone to overtime had Dinwiddie’s three-point attempt at the buzzer left his hands a split-second sooner.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid named Eastern Conference player of the month to cap 2022-23 season

The Nets were expected to fold without Durant and Irving, but earned the sixth seed. Along the way, Bridges blossomed into one of the league’s top scoring threats. The small forward, who was drafted by the Sixers in 2018, averaged 26.1 points in Brooklyn. He had games in which he scored 45, 44, and 42 points while tallying 30 or more points in 11 of his 27 games as a Net.

But Brooklyn is far from a one-person team.

“We somehow figured out how to score the basketball together and lean on each other that way,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said of how his team has improved since the Feb. 11 matchup.

“We have grown to understand what is the best defense for us, how we need to play on the defensive end of the floor, whose responsibility it is guarding the basketball, covering for each other, and protecting the rim. So those things we figured out, not just by playing with each other.”

The Nets are still trying to figure out their best end-of-game sets, but they’re pleased with their newfound ball movement and pace.

“So all those things that [when] Philly [was] around here [in Feb. 11] that was all new,” Vaughn said. “We were trying to figure it out.

“I was trying to understand these dudes, I think we’re in a better position to know what our gifts are and what our deficiencies are.”

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Now, the Sixers must try to figure them out.

From a preparation standpoint, Vaughn coached against Embiid, Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Co. several times. He has a feel for what they can do. While the Sixers scouted the Nets, the first time they’ll see what Brooklyn is doing in real time is in Game 1.

The Nets have a bunch of offensive weapons who have combined with solid perimeter shooters and have bonded over the past two months.

So, for the last time, who has the edge heading into Game 1?

Embiid was named the Eastern Conference player of the month for March and April. It’s the third time he’s won the award this season and seventh for his career.

Rivers was also named the conference’s coach of the month for March and April.