No Embiid. No Harden. No Maxey. No problem. Down their three best players, the Sixers upset the Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons in his return to Philadelphia.
could have foreseen, he received loud boos whenever he had the ball. The crowd also sprinkled in a couple of “F--- Ben Simmons” chants.
Though he’s a former teammate of Simmons’, Niang never actually played a game alongside him last season. He gave Simmons a cushion defensively while also occasionally poking at the ball and adding a bit of physicality. He pushed that approach too far with an off-ball shove late in the second quarter that the officials deemed a Flagrant 1 foul.
The Sixers introduced a zone defense in the middle of the first quarter, and it didn’t flummox the Nets. On the second Brooklyn possession against the zone, Simmons found space for a righty layup. Durant also hit two mid-range jumpers. Without Embiid, the Sixers’ formula for adequate defense is likely some combination of well-timed aggression and opponents missing jumpers.
As for Tucker, his scoreless run simply wouldn’t end. He’d been very efficient on his typical low volume to start the season, making 57.4 percent of his field goals and 11 of his 24 threes through 13 games. However, he fell to 0 for 6 from the floor late in the third quarter Tuesday when he air-balled a corner three. He will surely score again soon enough.
It appeared the Sixers’ depth might be tested even further when Harris lay on the court in pain with 11:19 left in the third quarter. He eventually got up and walked off gingerly with head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson into the locker room.
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