Simmons' fiery clash with ex-teammate Embiid

2 years ago 56

James Harden deed 2 three-pointers and had a driving layup successful the last 4 minutes against his erstwhile Brooklyn teammates and the Philadelphia 76ers stretched their winning streak to six games, outscoring the Nets 137-133

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 27 points, and Joel Embiid had 26. Harden added 23, and Philadelphia was 35 of 36 from the foul line.

Seth Curry had a season-high 32 points for Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving had 30 for the Nets, who person mislaid 5 of the past 7 games without Kevin Durant.

The crippled was the archetypal regular-season match-up betwixt Embiid and erstwhile teammate Ben Simmons since a February 2022 commercialized that sent Simmons to Brooklyn for Harden. Simmons missed the remainder of the 2022 play with assorted injuries, past Embiid was injured and missed the Sixers' triumph successful Simmons' Philadelphia instrumentality past November.

The nighttime started with Simmons matched up connected the antiaircraft extremity against Embiid, who decided to alteration from his accepted changeable facing the handbasket and musculus down low.

Through the night, determination were exchanges of words and stares betwixt the 2 — including close earlier the commencement of the 2nd half. It carried done the remainder of the rosters, with six method fouls called.

Simmons was roundly booed erstwhile helium was announced successful the starting lineup and passim the nighttime whenever helium touched the ball. Missed shots and turnovers from the Aussie resulted successful immoderate of the loudest cheers of the night.

"First play, Ben [Simmons] is guarding Joel [Embiid]," Sixers manager Doc Rivers said.

"[The crowd] was similar a party. It was hilarious. That's erstwhile I turned to the assemblage and said, 'This is simply a boxing assemblage tonight.' They privation to spot 'em driblet the basketball, crook and duke it out."

Embiid jams connected erstwhile teammate Simmons

There was a little agelong of play successful the 2nd fractional wherever tempers threatened to boil implicit aft Embiid dunked connected and past stared down Simmons earlier forcing a turnover connected the Aussie connected the pursuing possession.

Embiid past acceptable a carnal surface connected an unaware Simmons who was backpedalling down the tribunal earlier a timeout was called.

One of Embiid's post-bucket celebrations besides caught the oculus of Durant, who missed the crippled with a genu injury.

Brooklyn would commencement to creep into Philadelphia's pb successful the 2nd half. Simmons scored 10 points successful the 3rd 4th to support the Nets close. Curry and Irving, however, would service arsenic the main catalyst successful an 18-4 tally that allowed the Nets to necktie the crippled astatine 120 with 4 minutes left.

Harden took implicit aft that, with a brace of step-back threes and a bounce walk to Tobias Harris that allowed Philadelphia to get immoderate breathing room.

Maxey — who has been Philadelphia's sixth antheral since returning from a breached ft connected December 30 — had 16 of his 27 points successful the archetypal half.

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