Tag: Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons hit another three and Philadelphia erupted

Ben Simmons drained a three from the corner and Sixers fans lost it.

The 2019-20 NBA season was supposed to be the year Ben Simmons unleashed his newfound range and began terrorizing defenses from all over the floor.

We’d seen footage of Simmons shooting capably from behind the arc all summer long, and while Simmons regularly warmed up for games by draining threes, it took until November 22nd for Simmons to attempt his first 3-pointer of the regular season. Simmons made that shot, which was the first made three of his career, but he’s still been reticent to shoot, with just two attempts from long range over his next seven games.

On Saturday night in Philadelphia, with the Sixers destroying the overmatched Cavaliers in the first half, Simmons finally made his second three of the year – and the crowd responded as if he had just hit a buzzer-beater in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Assuming the Sixers don’t blow a 41-point lead in the second half, the Sixers will improve to 2-0 in games where Simmons makes a three, and 3-1 in games where Simmons attempts a three. Take more threes, Ben!

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WATCH: Ben Simmons drills his second career 3-pointer for Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons knocked down another 3-pointer against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are a team with big plans for the 2019-20 season as they plan on seriously chasing an NBA championship with the talent they have accumulated on the roster. However, it seems like the team will only go as far as their All-Star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will take them.

For Simmons, the issue surrounding him all season has been lack of a jump shot. He had finally made a 3-pointer for the first time in his career earlier in the season against the New York Knicks, but he has been hesitant to take any ever since.

On Saturday, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Simmons got another chance as he was wide open in the corner and he calmly drilled it to continue the Sixers blowout over the Cavs.

Simmons has been magnificent in a bounce-back game after the debacle in Washington D.C. on Thursday night. He has 26 points at halftime with the Sixers on top 77-36 at the half. His career-high in points is 32 set on November 29, 2017 against the Wizards. [lawrence-related id=20799,20784,20778]

Brett Brown says Sixers have to help Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons’ turnovers

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown says the team needs to help out Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in the turnover department.

It was a long night for the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as the two combined to commit 15 of the Sixers’ 21 turnovers in a 119-113 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. It was a performance that, simply put, will not get it done in the NBA. If you turn the ball over, you’re going to lose. It’s that simple.

Embiid had a monster stat line of 26 points and 21 rebounds, but the number that people are going to remember the most is the fact that he committed eight turnovers. Simmons had 17 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, but as with Embiid, everyone will remember only the seven turnovers he committed.

It’s an issue that will not win games in the NBA and a visibly frustrated Brett Brown was not happy afterward.

“We’re always trying to help our two young guys,” said Brown. “I think Jo had eight, Ben had seven. You’re trying to help those guys get better. It’s not going to win anything, it won’t win any game that matters, let alone a regular-season game. It’s not going to put us in any position where we can close out a game. We have to do better in that area and I gotta help them.”

Washington scored 30 points off of those 21 turnovers committed by the Sixers and with 15 of them coming from their All-Star leaders, it’s something to be concerned about as they move forward. The team has got to get this under control in order to make a serious run at a title.

The Sixers will have a day off to think about things before getting back at it on Saturday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers to begin a back-to-back at home. [lawrence-related id=20716,20708,20699]

Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid react to turnovers committed in Sixers loss

The Philadelphia 76ers All-Star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons react to the turnovers they committed.

If you commit turnovers in the NBA, you won’t win many games. That’s how it is in this league. For the Philadelphia 76ers, they committed 21 turnovers to the Washington Wizards on the road and it ended in a 119-113 loss on Thursday night.

All-Star leaders Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons combined to commit 15 of those turnovers, eight from Embiid and seven from Simmons, and it hindered any type of comeback attempt the Sixers tried to put on.

“We’re just not taking care of the ball,” Simmons said. “Charges, travels, they had a few steals on us. We just didn’t take care of the ball.”

Could the Sixers have come in and underestimated the Wizards? Especially after two days off?

“I just think we came in too relaxed,” the All-Star point guard added. “We didn’t take care of the ball, we waited too long down the stretch to try and get the game back.”

Embiid, on the other hand, had 26 points and 21 rebounds, but it was overshadowed by the fact that he committed the eight turnovers.

“There’s always two or three guys on me every time I have the ball so I know it’s coming,” said the big man. “I’ve got to make sure to take my time and make the right play.”

Philadelphia will look to regroup on Saturday when they begin a home back-to-back with the Cleveland Cavaliers. [lawrence-related id=20699,20669,20661]

Turnovers doom Sixers in disappointing loss to Wizards

The Sixers put forth a sloppy effort in Washington and the Wizards made them pay.

The Philadelphia 76ers put forth one of their most disappointing efforts of the season Thursday night in Washington, losing to the Wizards 119-113.

Things started off fine in the nation’s capital, with the Sixers scoring 33 first-quarter points and building an eight-point lead.

The second quarter proved to be an utter disaster as the Sixers were outscored 40-22. The Sixers defense got torched, in particular by Davis Bertans, and the offense couldn’t keep pace. Suddenly, their eight-point lead was a 10-point deficit.

The teams played even in the third quarter, and the Sixers trimmed a few points off the deficit in the fourth but it wasn’t enough as they simply didn’t make enough plays and couldn’t get out of their own way.

Two things jump off the stat sheet. First, the Sixers committed 21 turnovers. That’s simply way too many. Making matters worse, the biggest culprits were the team’s two cornerstones, the guys who handle the ball the most. Joel Embiid had eight while Ben Simmons had seven. That duo holds far too much responsibility for the success of the team to be that careless with the basketball.

The other is the defensive glass. The Sixers won the overall rebounding battle by a narrow 44-41 margin, but surrendered 13 offensive rebounds to the Wizards, subsequently getting outscored 21-9 in second-chance points.

As a result, Washington got up 13 more shot attempts than the Sixers and was able to offset a decent offensive night from the Sixers. Philadelphia shot 53.2% from the field and 46.4% from 3 to Washington’s 45.6% and 40.7%. Between the turnovers and offensive rebounds, the Sixers simply gave the Wizards too many extra opportunities.

Outside of his turnovers, Joel Embiid had a nice game with 26 points and 21 rebounds, earning 14 trips to the free-throw line.

Tobias Harris poured in 33 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Ben Simmons added 17 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Al Horford chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, while Furkan Korkmaz added eight points getting the start for Josh Richardson.

The Sixers didn’t get much from their bench, as the second unit contributed just 18 points, 11 of which came from Raul Neto. One bright spot from the bench was the six assists from Matisse Thybulle.

There’s really no way around it, this was a game the Sixers were expected to win and they put forth a sloppy, disappointing effort. The loss marks the 10th straight loss for the Sixers in Washington, where they haven’t won since 2013. It also ends the team’s four-game winning streak. They’ll look to get back on track Saturday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Sixers’ Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle love defending opposition’s star

The Philadelphia 76ers have two big defensive studs in Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle.

The Philadelphia 76ers are building their title-contending team on the strength of their defense. Due to this fact, it’s a good thing that they have two perimeter defenders who can get after it on that end of the floor.

Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle are considered two of the better defenders in the NBA with Simmons landing in the top 5 in steals per game and Thybulle leads all rookies in steals.

In Monday’s 103-94 win over the Utah Jazz, the two players had to take on the challenge of defending Jazz star Donovan Mitchell and they were up to the task. Mitchell scored 18 points, but he shot 6-for-19 including 1-for-6 from deep.

“I just love guarding great players. It’s one of those things where I take that challenge upon myself. I really don’t mind who I’m put on, it’s always going to be a challenge. So I enjoy it.”

Point guard Mike Conley shot 3-for-9 for seven points before leaving with hamstring tightness so it wasn’t just Mitchell. The Jazz as a team shot 46.9% from the floor and they were 5-for-22 from deep so the Sixers as a team played top-notch defense and it was spearheaded by Simmons and Thybulle.

“Yeah, that’s why we love basketball, just the competitive nature of it,” Thybulle added. “To be given the challenge of guarding the other team’s best player is an honor in and of itself, but then also the challenge of it is exciting for me, just as a competitor.”

The Sixers will have another big challenge on Thursday when they face Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards on the road. [lawrence-related id=20491,20486,20452]

Sixers’ Ben Simmons spends time with local Fortnite star ‘FaZe Dubs’

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons hangs out with local Philadelphia video game star.

The video game “Fortnite” has taken over much of the world including NBA culture. The Philadelphia 76ers are not averse to this phase as star Ben Simmons has been a guy who is a known video gamer along with fellow All-Star Joel Embiid and key reserve Mike Scott.

Simmons is not necessarily a big “Fortnite” player as he told ESPN in an interview over the summer:

The first game I really got into was Resistance for Playstation. That was the shooter I played. And then from there I started playing Call of Duty, picked all those up and eventually got into PC gaming a little later [with Counter-Strike], PUBG, a little bit of Fortnite — not too much Fortnite, because I’m not into building stuff. It’s too much.

On an off day on Sunday, however, the Sixers star spent some time with a professional “Fortnite” player Daniel “FaZe Dubs” Walsh who is a local Philadelphia player. Simmons stopped by and took a picture with Walsh and the FaZe Clan honored the two Philly icons.

Simmons and the Sixers have won three games in a row on the basketball court and they will be looking to continue their home dominance on Monday against the Utah Jazz. [lawrence-related id=20416,20406,20397]

Ben Simmons must finish at the basket better for Sixers on offense

For the Philadelphia 76ers to find their groove on offense, they will need Ben Simmons to finish better around the basket.

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons was a big piece in their 119-116 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday as he came up large on the defensive end late. He recorded three of his four steals in the final 19 seconds to seal the comeback win and he was terrific on the defensive end all night long.

On the offensive end, he finished with 15 points and 13 assists as he did a great job of running the offense. He also finished a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line in a sign that he’s beginning to become more aggressive for the Sixers. The blemish on Simmons’ stat line is his lack of finishing around the basket as he finished 4-for-13 from the floor and that’s something that must improve.

Coach Brett Brown stated post-game:

You know how I have been on since we have brought him into the program, his finishing is always on my mind. We’re not talking about dunks, it’s that little three foot thing that we’re talking about and he has to get better at it, that gather step where he’s going one extra step or he’s going one extra dribble and not being bumped off his driving line and more fading and more straight line through people, Giannis-like, I thought he was really good doing that tonight. The seven free throws that he shot and he made them all, he looked confident doing that. I think there is progressive growth in that area of going body-body ball and inviting that physical style to get way more free throws.

As terrific as he was on the defensive end, the offensive end was a bit of a mixed bag. However, the fact that he was aggressive and took 13 shots along with the fact that he had seven attempts from the line is a good sign for him offensively despite the fact that he had issues finishing around the rim.

Becoming more aggressive is something that his teammates have been encouraging him to do as he stated:

It’s really been Joel and guys like that making sure I’m being aggressive and getting to the rim. Once I’m doing that, I’m able to make plays and find my guys in the corners or Joel rolling.

Simmons and the Sixers will look to continue their growth both as a team and as a player on Monday when they welcome in Donovan Mitchell the Utah Jazz. [lawrence-related id=20365,20357,20347]

Tobias Harris praises Ben Simmons, team after Sixers win vs. Pacers

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris praises Ben Simmons and the team following a win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Philadelphia 76ers still have a lot of growing to do if they want to seriously compete for a championship, but Saturday was a nice step in the right direction.

They had to dig deep and not give in after allowing the Indiana Pacers to rally and take the lead after they led by 15. The Sixers had to continue to fight and come away with a 119-116 win after some clutch plays down the stretch by Ben Simmons on the defensive end.

Tobias Harris, who had 22 points, was impressed with Simmons as he said:

It just shows his ability and what he is capable of. We know as a team what we expect from one another and what we expect from Ben too so just him being able to find a way to will us to a victory, willing our team, I think that’s what we have to continue to grow on. We’re finding that out as a group in the fourth quarter different guys at different times being able to impact the game through different ways so with Ben he can do it either on the offensive or defensive emd. He’s overall, an amazing talent.

The Sixers had to fight through some adversity in order to win this one being on the second night of a back-to-back and then having a hard-charging Pacers team continue to find ways to score coupled with a few questionable calls from the officiating. It was an impressive win for the group.

Harris added:

Sometimes, it goes that way. The foul on the three, that was discouraging for me, I would do anything to be able to win the game at that point. Overall, I was just able to try to get into a rhythm in the fourth quarter from the start of it and do anything to will us to victory. I think coming off a back-to-back, this is a crucial game. Two teams that kind of, their records are right there with one another and us being at home, we wanted to protect our court and we really want to make a statement as we continue to try and get on a little streak here with wins and being able to go on the road and win so we’re continuing to progress. This was a good step.

The Sixers will welcome in the Utah Jazz on Monday as they look to continue to play well at home. [lawrence-related id=20347,20339,20330]

Sixers guard Ben Simmons: ‘We have the best fans in the NBA’

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons praises Sixers fans after a win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are 9-0 at home to begin the season and 14-6 overall and their fans have been their normal passionate selves as the season continues on. The fan base is as passionate as they come and it makes it tough to go into Wells Fargo Center and beat the Sixers on any given night.

The Indiana Pacers were the latest team to figure this out when they fell to the Sixers in Philadelphia 119-116. Ben Simmons led a big defensive effort late as he recorded three of his four steals late to lift the Sixers to a win and close it out as the fans in Philadelphia roared with passion.

Coach Brett Brown praised Sixers fans earlier as he acknowledged what they bring to the team and Simmons echoed that thought:

We have the best fans in the NBA and that’s not being biased or anything. You go anywhere else, it’s no atmosphere like it so we want to give everything we have to our city. It’s a big responsibility, that’s what I believe.

The Sixers will have more home games coming up as eight of their next 11 games are at home. It will give them the opportunity to get some more wins in front of their fan base. [lawrence-related id=20339,20330,20321]