Ben Simmons returns to Philadelphia on Wednesday for the first time to play since he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, with tip off at 11.30am (all times AEDT).
The Aussie is sure to receive a hostile reaction from his old fans, having already copped it when he returned there for the first time last season as a member of the Nets while sidelined with injury.
But this will be a whole different ball game as Simmons steps onto the court to officially do battle against his former team.
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Wed, 23 Nov
Wednesday November 23rd
“It’s probably the most hostile environment he’s probably ever going to be in,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn told ESPN. “And to get over this hurdle would be monumental to where he is at right now and getting back to the form that he wants to get back to.”
Vaughn also confirmed Simmons pre-game Simmons would return to the starting line-up alongside Nic Claxton.
Simmons has struggled in the early parts of the season at Brooklyn leading to his relegation to the bench while also hampered by a knee issue.
However, he’s broken out of his slump in recent games including putting up a season-best 22 points against Memphis on Monday while filling in as starting center for Claxton, who was out for personal reasons.
After failing to score in double figures in any of his first nine games, Simmons has now scored 11, 15 and 22 points respectively over his last three appearances.
“My mind is telling me, ‘Go be you,'” Simmons told ESPN. “But then my body’s trying to catch up. So it feels like I’m just progressing each day, each game. Just building up.
“I’m still trying to get a rhythm, find my pace. It’s easy to be like … before the injury, (I) was one of the best defenders (in the league), and now, I’ve got to relearn a lot of things, rebuild. It takes time, but you move through it.”
It’s come as the Nets have turned around their slow start to the season, winning six of their last nine games to improve to 8-9.
But as much as Simmons impressed in recent performances, his biggest test awaits on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
The 26-year-old sat out all of last season following a trade standoff with the Sixers, and tension between him and the organization was widely reported on.
Already he received a mixed response from fans when he came out to warm up, with some showing love and asking for photos and autographs, while others showed off unfriendly signs and mouthed off.
The general atmosphere though was a stoic one, albeit with a limited crowd.
Showered in boos and expletive-laden chants while dressed in street clothes when he last returned to Philadelphia in March with extra security around the Nets’ bench, the Sixers faithful will no doubt have more to say this time out when the game gets under way.
Simmons himself admitted on Monday that he ‘knows what’s coming’ when he makes his official on-court return to the Wells Fargo Center.
It comes against a Philly team missing both James Harden and Joel Embiid to injury, with the latter’s absence making for a much less spicier matchup given the discomfort between him and Simmons.
Regardless, it’s still a massive game for the Aussie and one he would surely have been eyeing for some time.
“What I’ve always said to him is, ‘Let’s just remove basketball for the moment and see who the people are who are genuinely supporting you,'” Nets teammate and fellow Aussie Patty Mills said.
“I think that unfortunately he just didn’t have enough of that from what I saw yesterday. So for that game, I just wanted to make sure he had that support. That no matter what happens, I’m there. Literally by your side.”
MATCH REPORT
Just like when he was announced as a starter, Simmons was met with loud boos from the Philly fans whenever he touched the ball early in the game.
But it clearly didn’t phase him, with Simmons dishing out three assists within the first three minutes to help get the Nets out to an early 10-2 lead, prompting a Philadelphia timeout.
Those boos only grew louder as Simmons went to the free throw line, but he calmly sank both shots to continue his promising start, before smiling and shrugging.
Philadelphia journalist Shamus Clancy tweeted: “A ‘f*** Ben Simmons’ chant goes on at the Wells Fargo Center during a TV timeout.”
Philly came storming back into the game though through Shake Milton, who had seven points in the opening term, while the hosts knocked down a combined five triples to help out to a 33-26 lead.
Simmons had four points and four assists at the end of the opening period.
Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy noted he didn’t think the Simmons reception was as bad as he thought it would be from an infamously passionate fan base.
“I expected better from Philly, quite honestly. These boos aren’t that loud or prolonged, this is not a good night from the Sixers as far as boos. I’ve heard better,” he said on ESPN.
The Aussie carried his strong form in the second term with an emphatic rejection before finishing the play at the other end by throwing down a rim rattling jam.
“This is what Ben Simmons can do … he can get it done on both ends of the floor, one of the best two-way players in the game,” Van Gundy added.
But the Sixers remained in control of the game including extending their lead to double digits early in the second after Furkan Korkmaz’s free throw.
Turnovers however became an issue for Doc Rivers’ side as Brooklyn capitalized at the other end, with Kyrie Irving’s three-pointer halfway through the term cutting its deficit to 38-42.
Seth Curry got hot late in the second, knocking down back-to-back triples to tie the scores at 50-50.
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