Ben Simmons suffers ankle sprain as LeBron James dominates Philadelphia 76ers

BEN Simmons’ night ended with an injury as his team slumped to a heavy home defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that didn’t stop LeBron James lavishing praise on the Aussie NBA star.

AN ANKLE injury has further soured a disappointing night for Aussie Ben Simmons as his Philadelphia 76ers fell to a LeBron James-inspired Cleveland Cavaliers.

James finished the night with 30 points and 13 rebounds while Simmons, tipped to be the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, finished the game receiving treatment for a right ankle sprain — with 10 points and eight rebounds to his name. RECAP OUR LIVE BLOG BELOW GAZE: SIMMONS CAN LEAD US TO OLYMPIC GOLD Despite the lopsided scoreline — the Cavs won 113-91 — James was full of praise for Simmons. “I’m honoured that a young, gifted kid like himself would even allow me to be part of his life, and allow me to mentor him and be a big brother to him,” James said. “I’m honoured by that, and I’ll continue to do that, as long as he would like me to.” Simmons’ night ended prematurely when he fell to the floor midway through the final quarter. He got to his feet with a limp, before battling on for a few plays. However it wasn’t long before the Aussie headed for the locker room, hobbling straight up the players’ race for treatment. The Sixers reported the big man had suffered a right ankle sprain, with scans reportedly clearing him of any major damage. The Cavaliers made it eight wins in a row with the big win, the win not only silencing the Philadelphia crowd but also dousing the flames around Simmons. Simmons goes back-to-back Much of the talk heading into the clash was how Simmons, the former No.1 draft pick taking the NBA by storm, would fare against the man many believe he could one day replace as the best in the game. But Simmons struggled to have a big impact on the contest as James, who the Aussie has previously described as his idol and like a “big brother”, stamped his authority on the game. ‘King James’ gave his side the early ascendancy, firing 15 points and grabbing six rebounds in a menacing opening quarter from which the home side was unable to recover. Simmons enjoyed a couple of nice moments, particularly at the start of the final quarter when he rammed home successive slam dunks, but James, Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Cavaliers squad never gave the Sixers a serious sight of getting back into the game. Joel Embiid (30 points) threatened to single-handedly lift the Sixers back onto a level footing with the Cavs but each time the home side got close, James and his teammates were able to extend to give them breathing space. The Sixers fell to an 11-8 record — still in a playoff position in the Eastern Conference — and host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday (AEST).

Originally published as Ben Simmons suffers ankle sprain as LeBron James dominates Philadelphia 76ers

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