Scary Simmons warning after Aussie's night out

1 year ago 73

Kyrie Irving was playing again. Ben Simmons was playing similar an All-Star again.

The Brooklyn Nets, who seldom get to bask normalcy for excessively long, could savour a nighttime erstwhile things really looked similar they drew them up.

"It's ever bully to conscionable absorption connected the game," Kevin Durant said.

Irving returned from his suspension with 14 points, Aussie Simmons tuned up for his travel backmost to Philadelphia with a season-high 22 and the Nets bushed the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies 127-115.

Simmons returned to the starting line-up with centre Nic Claxton retired for idiosyncratic reasons. Coming disconnected his champion crippled of the play past week successful Portland, helium was adjacent amended successful this one, shooting 11 for 13 with 8 assists and 5 rebounds.

Coming disconnected backmost country that kept him from playing past season, Simmons didn't adjacent person a double-figure scoring crippled until his 10th crippled this season.

"I cognize what I tin do. I cognize what I'm susceptible of. I'm not surprised," Simmons said.

The No.1 prime successful the 2016 draught is acceptable to look the 76ers connected Wednesday for the archetypal clip since they granted his commercialized petition successful February.

Durant scored 26 points, giving him astatine slightest 25 successful each 17 games this season. That's the longest streak to commencement a play since Rick Barry did it successful 25 consecutive successful 1966-67.

But it was the astonishment scoring of others who sparked the Nets successful this one. Simmons had his archetypal 20-point crippled since playing for the 76ers successful the 2021 playoffs, and Yuta Watanabe had 16.

The Nets announced Irving would beryllium disposable to play, aft helium apologised to anyone who felt threatened oregon wounded erstwhile helium posted a nexus to a documentary with antisemitic worldly connected his Twitter page. They suspended him days aboriginal aft helium had refused to apologise oregon clarify his beliefs, and helium missed 8 games.

Irving got a bully ovation aft resuming his spot arsenic the past subordinate announced during starting line-ups, past made a 3-pointer connected his archetypal changeable attempt. He missed his different 4 shots successful 13 first-half minutes.

"Felt good, felt good," Irving said. "Just missed my teammates, missed the coaching staff."

Dillon Brooks scored 31 points for the Grizzlies, who were without All-Star Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. But they trailed by lone 3 aft 3 quarters earlier Brooklyn opened the 4th with an 18-5 spurt, featuring 4 3-pointers from Watanabe, to interruption it unfastened astatine 114-98.

"It was, I thought, a heck of a archetypal 3 quarters," Memphis manager Taylor Jenkins said. "Three-point game, conscionable didn't marque capable plays successful the 4th quarter. They got hot."

Brooks had 17 points astatine half-time arsenic Memphis led 62-57, but Durant scored 14 points successful the 3rd and Simmons made each 4 shots for 8 much arsenic Brooklyn tied a play champion with 39 points, taking a 96-93 borderline to the fourth.

Morant and Bane some scored 38 points erstwhile the Grizzlies bushed the Nets connected October 24. But Morant has a sprained near ankle and Bane a sprained close large toe.

Jaren Jackson Jr besides sat to remainder aft playing successful 2 games pursuing a 14-game lack to statesman the play portion recovering from close ft surgery.

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