Tobias Harris and the 76ers’ bench spoil Ben Simmons homecoming, beat the Nets 115-106
Well, I don’t think ANYONE saw that coming. The Philadelphia 76ers just beat the a healthy Brooklyn Nets team 115-106 without James Harden, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey playing basketball.
We’ll start from the beginning. NBA on TNT was BEGGING for a scene at the Wells Fargo Center tonight as Ben Simmons returned to actual play in a game of basketball. From reports of an “escalated police presence” to Stan Van Gundy egging on Sixers’ fans throughout the broadcast criticizing them for going “easy” on Simmons, the entire night was one big failure, much to the dismay of the national broadcast.
The fact was that without Embiid, Harden, and Maxey playing, the Sixers faithful in attendance just weren’t really interested in the game because everyone thought that the Nets were going to steamroll a Sixers lineup that featured PJ Tucker, Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell, Shake Milton, and De’Anthony Melton as starters.
Sixers fans, including myself, couldn’t have been more wrong.
The 76ers led 33-26 after the first quarter, led by six points at the half, three points after the third, and then outscored the Nets by six points in the fourth quarter to earn a huge win over Simmons, Durant, and Irving, silencing the entire Brooklyn Nets fanbase on social media in the process.
Notable Sixers Statlines vs Nets
- Tobias Harris: 10-21 FG, 24 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST
- Shake Milton: 7-14 FG, 16 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST
- De’Anthony Melton: 7-16 FG, 22 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL
- Georges Niang: 6-11 FG, 16 PTS, 4-5 3PT, 5 REB, 2 AST
- Paul Reed: 7-9 FG, 19 PTS, 10 REB, 3 STL
Tobias Harris Highlights: Clutch
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on November 23, 2022.
Ben Simmons ended the night 4-for-7 from the floor with 11 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists, and three steals. Durant dropped 20 points and Kyrie Irving scored 23 of his own but it just wasn’t enough to keep up a hungry Sixers bench that played fantastic defense and moved the ball around on offense to find high efficient shots all night long.
Here’s something that may be familiar to you…
Ben Simmons in the 4th Quarter: 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST
As for the Sixers, on the night they shot 50% (16-32) from three point range and pulled in 20 offensive rebounds, which was the major difference in the win tonight.
De’Anthony Melton Buzzer Beater Three At The End of the 1st Half
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on November 23, 2022.
PJ Tucker Steal, Tobias Harris Finish
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on November 23, 2022.
The Philadelphia 76ers are now a game above .500 at 9-8 and moved to 6-5 at home this season. The Nets fell to 8-10 on the year and 4-6 on the road. Tomorrow night, the Sixers will be in Charlotte to face the 4-14 Hornets on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Tonight was a big win against an opponent that had every chance to come in here with “The Ben Simmons Returns” game and beat a depleted Sixers team. That obviously didn’t happen.
Hopefully that’s the end of the whole Ben Simmons shit. I’m sure there will be some buzz when Joel Embiid actually plays against him for the first time but overall, I think we should all move on. It’s literally not worth our time and we all know Simmons himself is a big piece of shit for the way he treated this city.
My Thoughts…
Let’s keep things rolling in Charlotte.
We out the mud. Period. Kick rocks, Brooklyn.
