76ers fade late in defeat against Heat

BEN Simmons started well but like most of his Philadelphia teammates faded late in a road defeat against the Miami Heat.

Ben Simmons drives under heavy pressure from James Johnson and Goran Dragic. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

BEN Simmons’ near triple double wasn’t enough as the Philadelphia 76ers faded late on the road to split their season series with Miami.

Simmons had 10 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in a 108-99 defeat that left the 76ers’ record at 35-29.

An off night by star centre Joel Embiid didn’t help. Embiid didn’t shoot the ball well (5/18 for 17 points) and was in foul trouble all night.

Dario Saric (20 points) and JJ Redick (18 points) were solid for the visitors but Robert Covington finished 0/10 from the field.

Hassan Whiteside led the Heat with 26 points and eight boards, while Dwyane Wade (16 points), Josh Richardson (13 points) and Tyler Johnson (12 points) chipped in.

MJames Johnson blocks a shot by Ben Simmons. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

ROSE JOINS BULLS REUNION IN MINNESOTA

Derrick Rose will attempt to reignite his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves after signing for the franchise on Friday.

The 29-year-old former Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks player arrives at Minnesota after an unsuccessful stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.

Rose was traded by the Cavs in February and landed at the Utah Jazz before being waived shortly afterwards.

“The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed guard Derrick Rose,” the Timberwolves said in a statement. Details of the deal were not revealed.

Rose, the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player, has averaged 19.2 points in 486 games over nine seasons.

Injury disrupted his spell with Cleveland this year, restricting him to only 16 games where he averaged 9.8 points per game.

He joins former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and players Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson in Minnesota.