Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons was having a slow start on Friday night. He had only two shot attempts and he almost seemed invisible out there on the floor. Then, he received some advice from some teammates and he was able to become his All-Star self again.
Simmons finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in Friday’s 127-119 overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his performance in the second half was much better than the first half. He was more aggressive and he helped to give the Sixers the lead before the Thunder put on their rally.
Simmons stated after the game:
“I just played. I went to the hole, was being aggressive and tried to make the right play every time. And just being me. J-Rich [Josh Richardson] and Joel [Embiid] told me to keep playing that way and get out of my own way.”
Philadelphia is a different team when Simmons is aggressive and making plays for both himself and his teammates. It’s a major reason why the Sixers were able to work their way back into the game and have a legitimate chance at winning the game. When he fouled out in overtime, it threw everything out of wack a bit and they were not able to recover.
The Sixers need him to remain aggressive for a full 48 minutes and he will have another chance to make a big impact on Sunday when they finish up the road trip by visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers. Philadelphia will need a win to avoid going winless on the 3-game trip. [lawrence-related id=19354,19347,19339]