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Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons star as 76ers defeat Lonzo Ball’s Lakers

BEN Simmons wiped the floor with Lonzo Ball, but Joel Embiid stole the show — and impressed actor Kevin Hart.

7 min read
November 17, 2017 - 7:52AM
It’s Rookie Bowl time: Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons.
It’s Rookie Bowl time: Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons.

NBA

Ben Simmons and his Philadelphia 76ers took the chocolates in his first meeting against Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers.

BEN Simmons vs Lonzo Ball was all that anybody wanted to talk about in the lead up to this contest but that quickly evaporated as the Lakers point guard struggled to get any part of his game going against the 76ers.

Ball didn’t see the court at all in the fourth quarter as the 76ers ran away with the contest in the final term to claim the win, 115-109.

Simmons finished just one rebound shy of his third career triple-double as he compiled 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists but it was his teammate Joel Embiid that stole the limelight.

Embiid was unstoppable on both ends of the floor and finished with the incredible statline of 46 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks.

The win now puts the 76ers record at 8-6 on the season as they head home after completing a five-game Western Conference in which they won three games and lost two.

Simmons takes his season averages to 17.8 points per game, 9.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists and now ranks first amongst all rookies in total points, rebounds and assists.

5.10pm

Trusting in the Process

Actor Kevin Hart is dwarfed by 76ers big man Joel Embiid.
Actor Kevin Hart is dwarfed by 76ers big man Joel Embiid.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are going to cause opposing teams nightmares for years to come and the Lakers got dealt a thorough lesson today.

The unstoppable big men combined for 64 points, 24 rebounds and 17 assists as they did whatever they pleased against a battling Lakers outfit.

Praise for the two giants has come in thick and fast this season but the showing put forth tonight blew away everyone’s expectations.

Embiid ended the encounter with a statline nobody in NBA history has ever compiled while Simmons became the first Philly player to compile his statline in four years.

4.50pm

It’s the Joel Embiid show

There’s no stopping the 76ers big man in this contest as he’s so far up to 44 points on 13-19 shooting from the floor and an incredible 16-19 from the free throw line.

Throw in the fact that he’s also pulled down 14 rebounds, dished out seven assists and swatted seven Lakers shots.

Simmons is now only one rebound away from a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Highlighting the poor perfomance he showed throughout the opening three quarters, Lonzo Ball has not seen any game time in the fourth.

The 76ers are leading 112-104 with only two minutes remaining in the game.

4.30pm

76ers big men dominating

Joel Embiid is having his way against the Lakers big men and completely outplaying everyone on the floor. He currently has 36 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and six blocks.

Having all of this impact in only 28 minutes of game play.

Simmons has recorded yet another double-double and is only two rebounds away from registering his third triple-double as he has 14 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.

Lonzo Ball has yet to check in to the fourth quarter as the 76ers hold a 94-92 lead with 7:40 remaining in the game.

4.00pm

Simmons is not a rookie

Ben Simmons is completely tearing the Los Angeles Lakers apart while Lonzo Ball is proving to be a liability in this contest.

Guarding Ball on the perimeter at one point, Simmons gave him space and almost dared him to shoot, Ball obliged and missed before stealing the up court pass and firing away again, for another miss.

Unable to add to his halftime point total, Ball has 2 points on 1-8 shooting from the field, missing all six of his attempts from deep.

Simmons is close to another double-double as he has 12 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.

Philly are holding onto the 80-74 lead.

3.50pm

Forgotten man in Rookie Bowl

While everyone has their eyes locked on the matchup between Ben Simmons and Lonzo Ball, the second pick from the 2016 NBA draft is having a big game under the radar.

Taken directly after Simmons, Lakers small forward Brandon Ingram is doing all that he can to keep this a tight battle.

At the half Ingram has 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the floor and has pulled down six rebounds. His offensive game has been hit and miss in his second season but so far today he looks locked in.

With Ball struggling in the opening half, it could be up to Ingram to lead the Lakers to victory.

3.40pm

Everything coming up 76ers

The battle of the rookies is incredibly one-sided in the first half of this contest as Ball has struggled to get into any rhythm while Simmons looks as fluid as ever.

Philly marginally extended their quarter time lead and hold the 58-54 halftime lead.

The shooting woes that have plagued Ball to start his career have continued in this game as he’s currently shooting 1-5 from the field and has missed all three of his three point attempts.

Simmons on the other end is 3-5 for six points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Bad news for Ball in this contest is that the Lakers are playing much better basketball when he’s sitting on the bench, in the 13 minutes he has played in the first half, the Lakers have been outscored by 16 points.

3.15pm

Ball taken off of Simmons

After they started out going head to head, Lakers head coach Luke Walton saw enough evidence that his young point guard wasn’t the right choice to curtail the impact Simmons can have and quickly moved him away.

3.00pm

One quarter in the books

Despite the blistering start from the 76ers, the Lakers closed out the quarter stronger once Ben Simmons went to the bench and closed the gap to 3, 29-26.

Checking out after eight minutes, Simmons compiled four points, two assists and three steals while he lined up directly opposite Lonzo Ball. Holding him to only four rebounds and one assists.

Ball didn’t get it any easier even when he wasn’t guarding Simmons as backup guard TJ McConnell took him to school with a nifty spin move in the paint.

2.45pm

Early advantage to Simmons

Ben Simmons has the upper hand after the opening five minutes as the 76ers have jumped out to an early 18-7 lead with Simmons dropping four points and two assists. Going head to head against Ball who has three rebounds and one assist.

2.30pm

Lets get this thing started

Both teams are out on the floor and ready for tip-off, the Lakers are going with a starting five of Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Brook Lopez. The 76ers are starting Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid.

Ball and Simmons are lined up against each other to start the game.

1pm

Simmons’ nightclub preparation

If Ben Simmons is worried about sending a message in tonight’s game, he’s not showing it.

TMZ reports the Australian was spotted at popular LA nightclub 1 Oak around 1am (US time) on the morning of the game.

That leaves him plenty of time to sleep before the 7.30pm tip-off, but is an interesting preparation for his big showdown.

12.30pm

Battle of the young guns

Two of the youngest teams in the NBA will go head-to-head today at Staples Centre.

The 76ers had the second-youngest opening-day roster in the NBA at 24.7 years of age, and the Lakers (6-8) were tied for the third-youngest at 24.9.

Philadelphia had the No. 1 draft pick each of the past two years and the Lakers selected No. 2 in both drafts, though only three of those players will be on the court.

76ers point guard Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick out of LSU in 2016, is the top rebounding point guard in the NBA and fifth in assists.

“He’s a difference-maker,” 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters after Simmons had 22 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 109-105 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. “He is a game-changer at a 6-10 point guard position. ... The thing I like the most, and get excited the most is, he’s barely scratched the surface. He has so much more to give and to improve on and knowledge to take in.”

This year’s No. 1 overall pick, Markelle Fultz, has been sidelined since October 25 with a sore right shoulder.

Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball was taken second overall behind Fultz and he’s been solid in some areas and disappointing in others.

Ball is seventh in the NBA in assists and third among point guards in rebounds, but continues to struggle with his shooting accuracy.

Ball’s overall field goal percentage sits at 31.3 per cent, though he’s only bettered that mark in three of 14 games. He averages the most three-point attempts on the Lakers at 4.9 per game, but has made only 25 per cent of his tries from deep.

Los Angeles seems to have the right complement off the bench, however, and it was Jordan Clarkson who kept Ball on the bench in the fourth quarter of a 100-93 victory against the Phoenix Suns.

Clarkson didn’t arrive in Los Angeles with nearly the expectations of Ball, but the former second-round pick has been one of the team’s best scorers.

He shot 11-for-19 from the field and scored his season high of 25 points against the Suns. He only had three assists, but didn’t turn the ball over in 26 minutes either.

Clarkson shot between 43 and 45 per cent from the field in each of his first three seasons, but is at 51.2 so far this season, including 40 per cent from three-point distance.

Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times that Clarkson seems more focused and serious this season.

“Just his overall approach each day,” Walton said. “Asking questions to the way he’s been practising. The effort he’s been giving on defence, for the most part, is a huge step up from last year. Just his overall presence around the court.”

Clarkson should be happy to see the 76ers, too. He scored his then-career high of 30 points against Philadelphia last season.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/basketball/nba/live-ben-simmons-76ers-vs-lonzo-balls-lakers/news-story/a5c9c44d3efe9374bc4280dd196dde99