During game one on Sunday between the Sixers and the Wizards, the matchup to watch was without a doubt, Ben Simmons against Bradley Beal. Beal willed the Wizards to a playoff berth and kept them in numerous games because of his incredible scoring ability. 

Matched up opposite of him is Defensive Player of the Year candidate Ben Simmons. While Ben didn’t have the best game offensively during game one, he did a tremendous job slowing down Beal en route to a 125-118 victory. There is no stopping Beal with how talented he is, but Ben did the best he could to slow down the 6’3 shooting guard. Following game one, Bradley Beal spoke on Ben’s defense.

“He’s 6’10”, I’m 6’3″, so I think that’s pretty simple. He’s a big guy, and he plays guard, so it’s not like he’s a center or a power forward guarding me. He’s very mobile, agile, and he’s strong. I think that propels him. And the fact that he wants to play defense, that he’s a willing defender. You don’t always see that. He uses that to his advantage. He’s very strong. That’s what he does.” 

That is high praise coming from the 31 PPG scorer. Ben Simmons is seen by many to be the best defender 1-5 in the NBA. Hopefully, we will continue to get some exciting matchups from these two over the coming games. The 76ers will host Washington once again for game two tonight at 7:00.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Slocum AP