Tag: Ben Simmons

Sixers guard Ben Simmons on Tobias Harris: ‘I love playing with him’

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons loves playing with Tobias Harris as he loves what he brings to the table.

The Philadelphia 76ers picked themselves up a nice 125-109 blowout win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night in their final preparation for the Christmas Day game with the Milwaukee Bucks. In the process, they had a little showtime action.

Toward the end of the first half, Tobias Harris threw a perfect half-court pass to Ben Simmons and Simmons threw it in over his head for the finish.

“It was impressive, I was glad he made it,” Simmons said of the play with Harris. “I love playing with him. He had a great game tonight, just the way he shot the ball, attacked down low, and defensively he’s gotten a lot better, so he’s been great.”

Then, not too long later, Simmons threw Harris a long lob and he finished with one hand. It goes to show the chemistry that the two players have been beginning to form.

“I saw he had a small defender and I know he can make spectacular plays, so he made mine look really good,” said Harris. “So, I just threw the ball in the air and he made a crazy layup. Then, the next frame he threw me one like I have athleticism like him, where I managed to get it to go, it was cool, it was a good sequence.”

 

 

Harris had a big night overall scoring a season-high 35 points and he knocked down four shots from beyond the arc. He also pulled down seven rebounds in leading the Sixers to a big night.

The attention now turns to the Bucks on Christmas in a highly anticipated matchup. Both teams are considered the top contenders in the Eastern Conference to go to the NBA Finals. [lawrence-related id=21997,21987,21964]

Sixers guard Ben Simmons releases hype video for Eagles vs. Cowboys

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons releases a hype video in support of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The city of Philadelphia will be fixated on a huge matchup on Sunday that will feature the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys with the division on the line in the NFC East.

The athletes in Philadelphia generally support each of the four teams in the city and that’s certainly the case for 76ers guard Ben Simmons who has been supporting the Eagles all season. He has been at most games throughout the season and when the team has been on the road, he has tweeted out his support for them.

He has released a hype video capturing his experiences at Lincoln Financial Field all season in preparation for the big game with the Cowboys.

The Sixers were not able to beat their Dallas opponent, the Mavericks, on Friday, but there’s hope that the Eagles can get it done on Sunday and begin to make a run towards the playoffs.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST in Philadelphia. [lawrence-related id=21895,21907,21900]

Despite win over Wizards, Sixers believe they can be much better

Despite a win over the Washington Wizards, the Philadelphia 76ers believe they can play much better.

The Philadelphia 76ers were able to finally figure out the zone defense that had given them trouble over the previous two games, both losses. They did a good job of executing against the zone and finding the open seams in order to come away with a 125-108 win at home on Saturday.

If you ask the Sixers though, they could have played much better, which is true. The win is nice, but at the end of the day, it was just the Wizards. The Sixers will have to play better against the elite competition in the league.

“It’s good when we win, we still think we can play a lot better,” said Tobias Harris. “We think, for sure in today’s game, in that second quarter we can play better in different moments. We’ll take the positives from it because we got a win and we were able to have a good win with guys stepping up. Take the positives from it and be ready for our next game.”

There was a stretch at the end of the second quarter when Philadelphia built a 23-point lead, but the Wizards came storming back behind 3-pointers from Bradley Beal and some big shots from Isaiah Thomas. The Wizards then got as close as nine before Philadelphia was able to pull away.

“We just got lazy defensively,” Harris added. “Sloppy, lazy defensively and we gave up three-point baskets which we were kind of stopping them from so that was about it.”

Overall, the Sixers held the Wizards to just 40.9% shooting and Washington was only 7-for-31 from deep on the night so it wasn’t completely lost. The performance did leave some room for improvement on the Sixers end.

“It was better,” said Ben Simmons of the defense. “At the same time, I think we took our foot off the gas and let them get back into it a little bit.”

Philadelphia will now head to Detroit to take on a struggling and injury hobbled Pistons team so it gives them another chance to right the issues before a big Christmas Day showdown with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. [lawrence-related id=21907,21900,21887]

Sixers say Ben Simmons helps attack the zone by offensive rebounding

The Philadelphia 76ers want to use Ben Simmons as an offensive rebounder in their zone offense.

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepared to host the Washington Wizards on Saturday looking to put a halt to a three-game losing skid, coach Brett Brown was asked how Ben Simmons could best help against the zone defense that teams have recently thrown at them.

After all, the best way to beat a zone is to shoot out of it and bust it up in order to get them back to a man-to-man defensive scheme. Simmons is a terrific player who can do many things, but shooting is obviously not one of them. So as Brown sat and pondered the question, he came up with an interesting role for him.

“Where I think Ben can have his greatest impact hurting a zone is being a live footed, relentless, committed offensive rebounder,” he said pregame. “I think that area of Ben Simmons’ game where he can feature on scout tapes like (Kenneth) Faried used to like ‘you better box him out’. I see Ben so athletic and elusive, that to me is where he can have his greatest impact in our zone offense.”

Simmons responded by grabbing four offensive rebounds, eight rebounds in total, to go along with 14 points and 11 assists as the Sixers knocked off Washington 125-108 in a win they really needed.

“I thought he was really good,” said Brown. “I thought that he, as a ‘go’ guy, was far more committed than he has been. He’s been pretty good, but I thought he was excellent tonight.”

It’s hard to really accept Simmons as just an offensive rebounder in a zone offense, but due to his lack of shooting this has to be his role. He’ll just have to be a leader in that area when teams move into a zone to face the Sixers. That is where he can make his biggest impact in that type of situation.

“I thought that he had live legs and a committed effort to go get stuff and I thought that as a team, we ended up with 16, so we did a really good job on the offensive boards,” Brown finished with.

Philadelphia will now head to the Motor City on Monday to take on the struggling Detroit Pistons. It would be helpful to get another win under their belt before the big Christmas Day matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. [lawrence-related id=21858,21844,21846]

Brett Brown praises Sixers’ execution against zone in win over Wizards

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown was happy with his team’s execution against the zone in a win over the Washington Wizards.

After two nightmare games at home against the zone defense, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to figure it out and fight through to score 125 points in a win over the Washington Wizards. Philadelphia shot 14-for-33 from deep and they looked like themselves again a bit.

Coach Brett Brown has had the challenge of figuring out how to help his team attack that zone and on Saturday, he and his team found the right formula.

“I thought they did a really good job of executing stuff, going to floor spots, setting screens, understanding who to pick on in the zone,” said Brown. “Understanding like after you get somebody to play you, now if you can find somewhere in the scheme of things to others to make a decision like ‘who’s got this guy?’ and you get into gaps and seams and from that point, the world makes sense.”

Brown has made it a point in the past to grow Ben Simmons as a point guard and allow him to really run the offense allowing him to call plays on the fly. On Saturday, Brown wanted to take more control in order to get the team more organized.

“I called a lot of plays more than I normally do and just trying to get us into an organized environment,” he added. “I give them a lot of credit for executing just plays that would expose zone rotations.”

Simmons didn’t think that Brown called any more plays than usual, but he did agree that the team was a bit more under control than they were in previous games.

“I didn’t think there were that many more plays called,” said Simmons. “I think that we’re just more structured and organized before we got into anything.”

The Sixers now hit the road on Monday to face the Detroit Pistons as they have finally been able to break the zone defense that had bothered them. [lawrence-related id=21829,21812,21791]

Sixers vs. Wizards preview: Sixers look to get their edge back

The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers have looked like a lot team over their three-game losing skid. They have not found a way to score against zone defenses and their own defense has failed them. As they welcome in the Washington Wizards on Saturday, they have got to find their defense quickly against one of the league’s best offenses.

The Wizards have a victory against the Sixers earlier in the year as they used Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans in order to knock off Philadelphia at home. In the rematch, the Sixers must do a better job of keeping Bertans in check and they must find their offensive groove again.

With that said, it’s now time for the guide to Saturday’s matchup:

How to watch Sixers vs. Wizards

  • Date: Saturday, December 21
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
  • TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Injury Report

  • Sixers: NOT YET SUBMITTED
  • Wizards: NOT YET SUBMITTED

Storylines

Embiid says Sixers are scared

The Sixers are one of the more talented teams in the league led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons surrounded by a good supporting cast of players. However, a simple zone defense has thrown everybody off their groove and focus and it has everybody overreacting. It’s something has led Embiid to believe the team is playing scared and overcomplicating things.

“I feel like, especially tonight, we were playing scared,” said Embiid. “Basketball is easy. Just shoot it, pass it, move it. If you don’t got a shot, just pass it, but tonight we didn’t make shots and defensively we were pretty bad.”

Brown concerned with the team’s psyche

The Sixers are usually a tough-minded and tough-nosed team that will normally not back down from a challenge. However, the zone defense that the Miami Heat and the Mavericks have employed over the previous two games has coach Brett Brown worried as their struggles offensively have crept into their spirit and their defense.

“Our inability lately to be put on our backheels against the zone has crept into our defense, our psyche, our spirit and I can’t stand it,” said coach Brett Brown. “This is not who we are. I feel like our competitive spirit has taken a dent because of our inability to score. Any time you get into a mood swing that affects your defense because your offense is doing something, it needs to be addressed.”

Prediction

The Sixers right now are a fragile group. It’s hard to really pinpoint which Sixers team will show up right now. Will the team that started 20-7 and had just finished off a stretch of impressive wins show up? Or will the team that has wilted under the pressure of a simple zone defense? It’s hard to really predict which one. The team needs a win in the worst way so it can be assumed that they will have a lot more urgency on Saturday to put this losing skid to bed.

Pick: Sixers? Wizards? Who knows?

Sixers vs. Wizards season series

Game 1 December 5: 119-113 Wizards

Game 2 December 21:

Game 3 March 16:

Game 4 April 3:

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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith latest to question Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons

Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons get questioned by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks coming up on Christmas Day and it has everybody talking. These are the two front runners in the Eastern Conference to represent the East in the NBA Finals and everybody has their opinion.

For Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, they haven’t been playing up to their All-Star levels that they have been questioned in the past. Specifically, Embiid took his hits from TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley as they questioned whether he wants to be great or not.

On Friday, ESPN’s First Take broadcasted from Philadelphia and they took on the East race and Stephen A. Smith, who picked the Sixers to make the Finals in the preseason, is beginning to question that pick after Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his romp over the league after a great performance in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

Smith said:

Here is my issue. The Greek Freak is a monster. He is coming. He doesn’t have any friends, he doesn’t work out with anybody in the offseason, he doesn’t want to partner with anybody, he doesn’t want to get along, he’s got a attitude against anybody not wearing the same uniform as him. If you are a star like Joel Embiid, you have to see this and say ‘Yo! I’ve got to step my game up!’ If Joel Embiid does not step up and start playing like the monster…it’s not enough…if you’re a star in this league, if you see somebody where you know a confrontation is imminent, you’ve got to elevate your game. That’s Embiid.

Max Kellerman then took a shot at Simmons in terms of his shooting:

He’s averaging five threes taken a game…he’s not a pure shooter. He’s going to have to take them to get better at them and unlike Simmons, he’s not scared to shoot them. He shoots them.

The Sixers will need Simmons to expand his perimeter game before the playoffs begin to have a legitimate shot in the Eastern Conference and coach Brett Brown knows it.

The Sixers first have to take care of business against the Dallas Mavericks, the Washington Wizards, and the Detroit Pistons before the Christmas matchup with the Bucks. [lawrence-related id=21720,21712,21703]

Sixers vs. Mavericks preview: Sixers look to avoid 3-game skid

The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers will get back at it on Friday night after taking their first home loss of the season on Wednesday. Friday’s opponent is the much improved Dallas Mavericks who come in with an 18-9 record, which is good for fourth in the Western Conference.

Dallas will, unfortunately, be missing superstar Luka Doncic who was playing at a torrid pace before he suffered an ankle injury that has put him on the shelf. It still does not mean they aren’t a dangerous group led by Kristaps Porzingis so this will still be a formidable challenge for the Sixers.

With that being said, it’s time for the guide to Friday’s matchup:

How to watch Sixers vs. Mavericks

  • Date: Friday, December 20
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
  • TV: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Injury Report

  • Sixers: NONE
  • Mavericks: OUT: Luka Doncic(right ankle sprain), QUESTIONABLE: Seth Curry(lower back tightness), Delon Wright(right 5th finger sprain)

Storylines

Harris wants to see more zone

The Sixers were undone by a zone defense in their loss to the Heat on Wednesday when they were not able to find enough shooting to bust the zone. Philadelphia shot 12-for-39 on the night and shooters like Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson, and Mike Scott struggled a bit to knock down open looks. Harris would like to see more zone as he is confident the Sixers won’t shoot that poorly again.

“To be honest, we kind of hope they do play it, because we know we’re not going to shoot like that,” Harris said. “We make a couple of shots. That’s why teams don’t really play zone. Guys make shots and then they get up out of the zone real quick, especially three-point looks.”

Simmons continues to impress on defense

The Sixers came up short on Wednesday, but the defense of Ben Simmons continues to be a standout. His defense was superb against Heat star Jimmy Butler and even against secondary scorer Kendrick Nunn. He also made a few big plays late to really help Philadelphia stay in the game and make something of it, but it wasn’t enough. Still, his work on that end continues to be impressive.

“I think that Ben is first in our league as a defensive player,” said coach Brett Brown. “I’m probably biased because I am his coach, but he has to be considered amongst the elite and maybe one of the better Defensive Player of the Year candidates, in my opinion.”

Prediction

The NBA is a copy cat league so the Mavericks could see what the Heat did to frustrate the Sixers and use that zone defense for their own benefit. The Sixers are a much better shooting team than what they showed against Miami. This is a prideful team and a team that was hurt by the loss and they will have their chance on Friday to bounce back in a big way. Not having Doncic out there helps the Sixers immensely in this one

Pick: Sixers pull away in the second half

Sixers vs. Mavericks season series

Game 1 December 20:

Game 2 January 11:

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Sixers guard Ben Simmons’ late game defense shined in loss to Heat

Despite the loss to the Miami Heat, the defense by Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons continues to shine.

The Philadelphia 76ers had themselves a tough time trying to figure out how to best attack the zone defense the Miami Heat threw at them in a loss on Wednesday night and it led to a 108-104 loss at home, their first of the season. On an otherwise lackluster night, there was one shining light and that was the continued defensive presence of Ben Simmons.

When the Sixers were finally able to knock down some shots and bust the Heat zone, it came down to getting the necessary stops defensively and Simmons stepped up to the challenge late.

There was a specific play in the fourth with the Sixers hard-charging and rallying and Simmons made a hell of a play on the inbounds pass and came up with a steal late. He stalked Heat star Jimmy Butler, made a play on the ball, and the loose ball ended up in Joel Embiid’s hands for a layup. That’s an All-Defensive Team type of play with the game on the line.

He did a terrific job against Butler holding him to two points on 1-for-3 shooting and two turnovers in their individual matchup and he held Kendrick Nunn, who had 26 points on the night, to three points when he defended him.

“I think that Ben is first in our league as a defensive player,” said coach Brett Brown. “I’m probably biased because I am his coach, but he has to be considered amongst the elite and maybe one of the better Defensive Player of the Year candidates, in my opinion.”

“When he puts his mind to it and goes after boards, that’s when it really stands out to me,” Brown added. “I thought that defensively he was swarming with pride and we needed it. We just didn’t get that juice that we needed for the large majority of the game from others.”

The loss to the Heat exposed a few warts for the Sixers, especially in terms of long-range shooting and zone busting, but if Simmons can continue to show off this defensive improvement, then Philadelphia can continue to grind wins out. He still has a ways to go as a player–see jump shot–but his defense continues to be at an elite level. [lawrence-related id=21669,21655,21647]

Sixers vs. Heat preview: Jimmy Butler makes his final trip to Philly

The Philadelphia 76ers welcome in the Miami Heat for a matchup on Wednesday.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat are two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference so when they matchup on Wednesday, it promises to be an exciting game. However, the focus will once again be on the second game back in Philadelphia for former Sixers forward Jimmy Butler.

Butler and the Heat have already made a trip to Philadelphia this season, a rather easy 113-86 win for the Sixers, but with both teams rested after they were both on a back-to-back, it should be a better game.

With that being said, it’s time for the complete guide to this one:

How to watch Sixers vs. Heat

  • Date: Wednesday, December 18
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
  • TV: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Injury Report

  • Sixers: NONE
  • Heat: OUT: Goran Dragic(right groin strain), James Johnson(personal reasons), Dion Waiters(team suspension), Justise Winslow(lower back strain)

Storylines

Richardson credits Heat

Before he became the Sixers starting shooting guard, Josh Richardson was a second-round pick of the Heat in the 2015 draft. There, he worked his tail off and he became a legitimate NBA rotational player and he was a key member of Heat playoff teams in 2016 and in 2018. He gives the Miami staff a lot of credit for his development and where he is as a player currently.

“A lot,” he said at practice on Tuesday. “Just giving me confidence, giving me an opportunity to play early, and working with me every day. Chris Quinn, he and I worked very closely from my time there and I still keep in contact with him. I consider him a friend outside of basketball but working at it every day. He encouraged me to shoot threes off the dribble my last year there so that’s another part of my game that I can bring.”

Sixers need to grow Simmons’ perimeter game

Ben Simmons is unquestionably one of the better players in the league. However, the lack of a jump shot continues to be a storyline with him and it will continue to be one until it’s fixed. For the Sixers to succeed in the playoffs, they will need him to show some semblance of a jump shot and it is something that is on the mind of coach Brett Brown.

“I spend so much with Ben talking about spacing,” said Brown. “This is an ongoing discussion that we have been having and it’s not as clear or as simple when you digest the tape, you see what he sees. There are times when he just eats space and doesn’t accept space, he uses the space to play downhill and the bottom line is, we need to grow his perimeter game.”

Prediction

The Sixers are coming off a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, but that was on the road. Now, they come home and they will be highly motivated to want to put on a better performance. This is a much different team at home and it’s a team that just gets it done at home. With Joel Embiid returning to the floor, they should be able to put on a more dominant defensive performance and play well enough to win this one.

Pick: Sixers pull away late

Sixers vs. Heat season series

Game 1 November 23: 113-86 Sixers

Game 2 December 18:

Game 3 December 28:

Game 4 February 3: 

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