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Ben Simmons breaks a 50-year Philadelphia rookie NBA record

BEN Simmons did all that he could to help get the Philadelphia 76ers across the line, but Russell Westbrook had the last laugh.

Alex Blair and James McKern
10 min read
December 16, 2017 - 7:50PM
Simmons has some strong footy roots
Simmons has some strong footy roots

Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers fell agonisingly short against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a gruelling game.

BEN Simmons did all that he could to help the 76ers get across the line but his near triple-double and 52 minutes of on court action weren’t enough to overcome Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Full Time: Oklahoma City Thunder defeat Philadelphia 76ers 119-117

2:30pm

What an incredible display

Ben Simmons took the fight right up to Russell Westbrook.
Ben Simmons took the fight right up to Russell Westbrook.

In the first game of the NBA season to go into multiple overtimes, the Oklahoma City Thunder have escaped from the city of brotherly love and downed the Philadelphia 76ers, 119-117.

Russell Westbrook led from the front and recorded yet another triple-double as he posted the staggering line of 27 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists.

With his superstar teammates also coming to the party as both Carmelo Anthony and Paul George ended the contest on 24 points.

Along with Westbrook’s remarkable figures is the incredible number of 52.

That’s the amount of time he spent on the court in the gruelling triple overtime game.

Ben Simmons joined Westbrook as the only two players to play 52 minutes, J.J Redick and Steven Adams both totalled 51 minutes.

The minutes tally from Simmons is the most by a 76ers rookie played over the past 50+ seasons of NBA.

Falling agonisingly short of registering his third triple-double, Simmons compiled 12 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists.

Teammate Joel Embiid paced the 76ers on his way to 34 points but looked noticeably exhausted late in the contest.

The loss leaves the 76ers with a 14-14 record and has them sitting in tenth place in the Eastern Conference. A game behind the New York Knicks who hold onto the eighth spot.

For Oklahoma, the win propels them into the top eight in the Western Conference as they now hold a similar 14-14 record.

After such a long and battling game, the 76ers now get to enjoy a few days rest before travelling to Chicago for a meeting with the Bulls on Tuesday.

Unfortunately for the Thunder they have to back up the performance as they take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden tomorrow.

2.00pm

The game that refuses to end

The 76ers and Thunder are refusing to step off the basketball court as the game is now heading into a third overtime.

All of Philadelphia’s starters have played well over 40 minutes while Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams are closing in on playing 50 minutes.

An extra five minutes of basketball, will we finally get a winner?

1.45pm

First time this NBA season

For the first time this entire NBA season a game has gone into double overtime.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have led from the front in the 76ers revival as they seek their second straight win and first against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 9-years.

1.30pm

Are you kidding me?

It was 94-83 late in the fourth quarter. Since that moment the 76ers have outscored the Thunder 19-8 as the teams are tied at the end of the first overtime period.

Ben Simmons is closing in on another double-double as he has 10 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.

Joel Embiid made a game-saving block to deny Russell Westbrook and give the 76ers a shot at victory, but the final look from Dario Saric fell short.

1:20pm

Ben-jammin Simmons

Philly fans have had plenty of reasons to cheer this season but Ben Simmons gave them an added piece of excitement today.

Slicing through the Thunder defence and throwing down the thunderous dunk to bring the team marching back into the contest.

Simmons now has 10 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.

The defence has picked up and Simmons is working over Russell Westbrook, forcing him into bad turnovers as the 76ers have tied the contest.

Carmelo Anthony found an open Paul George beyond the arc but his shot rimmed out, sending the game into overtime after a remarkable 76ers fightback.

Philadelphia closed out the game on an 11-0 run to force the game into an extra five minutes.

12.55pm

We got a contest on our hands

The Philadelphia 76ers have cut the Oklahoma City Thunder lead in half during the third quarter and now head into the final term with moment on their side.

Behind Joel Embiid’s 18 points, the 76ers have brought life back into the contest as they look to win their second straight game.

Ben Simmons, despite being closely guarded by two of the league’s better defenders, has recorded 4 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists through his 28 minutes of playing time.

After slowing down the hot shooting hand of Carmelo Anthony, the 76ers defensive intensity went to another level however mini lapses let Paul George and Russell Westbrook take advantage.

It’s all set to be a close and tight final quarter.

12.45pm

Charge of the 76ers brigade

Not backing away from the challenge the Thunder have thrown down, the 76ers have come storming back into the contest.

Closing the gap to a three point margin before a brief response from the Thunder.

Simmons started the party with a hesitation dribble move that froze his defender Paul George in his place before throwing down the pretty reverse dunk.

12.30pm

Simmons on lock down

Oklahoma boast two incredible wing defenders in Paul George and Andre Roberson. Both men are doing the job today of keeping Ben Simmons’ impact to a minimum.

After 25 minutes of playing time, Simmons has compiled 4 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists as he struggles to overcome the close attention he’s receiving.

In the 76ers win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Simmons struggled with his shooting touch and today the hesitation in wanting to shoot is evident.

He’ll need to overcome the defensive intensity being thrown his way if the 76ers are to record a second straight victory.

12.15pm

Halftime wrap up

The stars came to play in Philadelphia, unfortunately for the home crowd fans they’re apart of the Oklahoma City Thunder squad.

Carmelo Anthony has rediscovered his shooting touch while Russell “Mr. Triple Double” Westbrook is going about his normal business.

Anthony is shooting a ludicrous 7/10 from the field to lead all players with 16 points and has also pulled down three rebounds.

Westbrook is on the verge of recording his tenth triple-double of the season as he recorded eight points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a dominant first half.

For the 76ers, shooting guard J.J Redick is leading the team behind 15 points which has come from a scintilating 4/7 shooting from beyond the arc.

Simmons has been kept in check thus far but has still managed to register two points, five assists and two rebounds.

If Philly are any chance of getting back into this contest and pulling out the win in front of their home fans, they’ll need to get in the face of their opponents and slow down the hot shooting Thunder in the second half.

11.45am

You get a foul, you get a foul

The whistles have been ringing aplenty during the second quarter with both Paul George and Robert Covington receiving technical fouls.

George picked up his third foul of the game so will sit the remainder of the quarter.

Simmons finally added to his point tally after taking advantage of a mismatch and getting inside for an easy layup.

Philly need to find an answer for Carmelo Anthony as he continues to torch the 76ers defence, currently shooting 6-7 from the field for 13 points.

Of course the Thunders leader Russell Westbrook is on pace for another triple-double as he currently has 6 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

11.35am

First quarter wrap up

Ben Simmons registered another scoreless quarter after missing his only attempt from the field to go along with two missed free throws.

The big three of the Thunder in Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony led from the front as they combined for 20 of the teams 28 points.

Simmons played eight minutes in the opening term and dished out two assists while adding one rebound.

J.J Redick and Joel Embiid paced the 76ers with six points apiece, Simmons’ two assists were to both men with the second leading to an open Embiid dunk.

11.15am

Tough task ahead for Ben

Ask any NBA point guard who is one of the tougher defensive assignments and the name Russell Westbrook will be near the top of the list.

Find out who some of the tougher wing defenders in the NBA and the name Paul George won’t be too far down the list.

Ben Simmons has his hands completely full tonight as so far he’s being tasked with guarding Russell Westbrook defensively, while having Paul George attached to him on the other end.

Prior to the game Simmons stated the challenge of going head to head with Westbrook was going to be fun but stated he was “an animal” and that “he’s tough”.

11.00am

Starting lineups

Philly are sticking with their usual lineup that has achieved remarkable numbers this season while the Thunder come in with the same starting five.

76ers: Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Joel Embiid.

Thunder: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Andre Roberson, Carmelo Anthony, Steven Adams

9.00am

Simmons’ stunning display

BASKETBALL and AFL players have a lot in common physically. They’re tall, long-limbed and are built to leap through the air with ease.

So it’s no surprise Aussie NBA gun Ben Simmons could have just as easily have become an Aussie rules superstar.

Born in Melbourne, Australia’s AFL capital, the 21-year-old grew up surrounded by footballs. He played in the Australian junior team up until the age of 14 until dreams of a basketball career took over his life.

So when Simmons star found a Sherrin in one of the team’s offices, the 2.08m star couldn’t help but show off his old skills.

“He was tooling around the gym with this thing,” Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said via ESPN. “He had amazing control. It was stunning to see how comfortable he was.”

Simmons’ team apparently sat in amazement as he booted the oval-shaped object with both feet.

“He’s good,” director of performance research and development David Martin said. “It’s been a while since he played competitively, but you could easily see that he had great aptitude as an Australian rules footballer.”

Melbourne Demons star Christian Petracca grew up playing Aussie rules with the 21-year-old.

“He was a gun,” Petracca said. “He was an absolute freak. He could jump. He could run. He could kick. He honestly would’ve been a top-five draft pick had he stuck with football.”

Simmons’ debut season in the NBA so far has been nothing short of outstanding. The Rookie of the Year race seems almost buried for his contenders as comparisons to Michael Jordan.

2m tall Ben Simmons used to be a “freak” Aussie rules ruckman.
2m tall Ben Simmons used to be a “freak” Aussie rules ruckman.

“If Simmons keeps up his current pace and maintains good health, Rookie of the Year won’t do him justice,” wrote Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver in his NBA Awards column. “He’ll have a strong case as Rookie of the Decade, with 2011 Blake Griffin as his top competition.”

Joel Embiid scored 28 points in his return to the line-up and the 76ers topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-112 in overtime Tuesday night to stop a four-game losing streak.

“We needed this,” Embiid said. “My goal is to always bring back a lot of energy. Obviously use my skills, but a lot of it is just playing hard.” After missing two games with back tightness, Embiid hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining to force overtime. Then he scored seven points in the extra session, including a 3-pointer that gave Philadelphia a seven-point lead in the final two minutes.

J.J. Redick scored 24 points and made all 11 of his free throws for the Sixers. Jimmy Butler led Minnesota with a season-high 38 points, including a pair of 3s in the final minute of regulation.

Embiid got the better of Karl-Anthony Towns as the talented 7-footers battled down low all night. Towns had 17 points and 15 rebounds, his 22nd double-double of the season.

“Last year I was really excited to play against him,” Embiid said. “This year was treated like a regular game and we got the win.” Before Butler hit a 3-pointer with 47.6 seconds to play in regulation, Minnesota was 1 for 21 from long range. Butler connected again with 17.8 seconds remaining, but his step-back jumper at the buzzer fell short as the game went to overtime.

Butler had 14 fourth-quarter points and helped the Timberwolves build a seven- point lead early in the period. But his late heroics weren’t enough. “Jimmy was fantastic tonight,” Towns said. “I didn’t do anything tonight to help him.” Philadelphia jumped out to an early lead in overtime, aided by three free throws from Redick. A dunk by rookie Ben Simmons provided an answer for the Sixers after Minnesota threatened to climb back into it.

The turnover discrepancy was lopsided. Philadelphia committed 24 turnovers while the Timberwolves turned the ball over just 10 times.

Yet despite sloppy play at times, the Sixers didn’t end up getting hurt in the end by the turnover margin.

“It is so frustrating, because they play their hearts out and you just keep squirting the ball around the gym,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. “We were lucky to get out of it with a win with that many turnovers.” Minnesota shot just 5 for 29 from 3-point range and was 1 for 13 from deep in the first half. Andrew Wiggins went 8 of 24 overall and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

“Every night, your shot’s not going to fall,” Wiggins said. “We didn’t shoot great from the 3-point line, but that’s basketball. You’re not going to make all the shots.” Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau used just three reserves despite visible fatigue from his starting five. Towns and Butler each topped 40 minutes in regulation.

Though four starters played 39 minutes or more, Minnesota players said that wasn’t the reason they lost.

“I think we need to get into better shape if we’re tired,” Butler said. “Do whatever it takes for this team, this organisation, to win. If you’re tired, run some extra laps after practice.”

— with AP

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/basketball/nba/ben-simmons-stunned-the-76ers-with-an-afl-ball/news-story/fed9c154fc43cf8bc33b8dbdf096402e