The Philadelphia 76ers were in dire circumstances. They were down by two and they had a chance to force overtime with Josh Richardson at the line. However, when Richardson missed the first foul shot, that’s when plans had to change.
Richardson intentionally missed the second shot to the right and Ben Simmons came flying in for the putback and to tie the game and force the extra session. There was initial confusion as some believed that Richardson’s shot did not hit the rim, but after review, it was determined that it did hit the rim and the Sixers lived for another five minutes before falling 117-116 to the Miami Heat.
“Yeah, I missed on purpose,” Richardson said. “We were down two and I looked over and I saw Ben set up like a track runner. So I tried to miss to the right and it was a great look for me.”
:')
Thank you, @BenSimmons25. pic.twitter.com/st1GsO7bY9
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 29, 2019
“We needed a bucket,” said Simmons. “J-Rich missed to the right and I just came in.”
When the official initially called it off believing Richardson did not hit the rim, there was some confusion as Simmons and the Sixers did not know what to think.
“I wasn’t sure what he was calling because he was on the opposite side,” he added. “So I didn’t know how he saw that.”
Alas, Philadelphia did not win the game. They must now continue the road trip when they face the Indiana Pacers on New Year’s Eve. [lawrence-related id=22372,22359,22355]