Sixers Fans Came To Boo Ben Simmons, Left Booing The Sixers In A Blowout Loss To The Nets

The NBA only had two games on Thursday night, with the marquee attraction being the first game between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers since their blockbuster trade at the deadline sent James Harden to Philly and Ben Simmons to Brooklyn. Simmons is still not playing for the Nets, but joined the team for their trip to his old home and even got in on pregame warmups, to the expected chorus of boos.

So much of the focus was on Simmons at the start, but it quickly became an enthralling first quarter, with Brooklyn scorching out of the gates, led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while Joel Embiid was extremely aggressive to start. The playoff atmosphere was apparent and tensions were high early on, making for some exceptional drama, as Embiid and Durant got into it after Embiid drew a foul after bulldozing through KD in the post.

However, while Embiid showed up early, no one else on the Sixers did as Brooklyn jumped on them early and never relented, running out to a 21-point halftime lead and, ultimately, a 129-100 victory. Durant was nothing short of sensational, scoring 25 points and adding 14 rebounds and seven assists, as he was unstoppable inside and out, leaving his lasting mark with an early dunk in transition and later a crossover that shook Tobias Harris off the screen to create a wide open three.

Kyrie Irving added 22 points in 30 minutes of play, with most of those coming in the first half as he seemed to relish the opportunity to take it to James Harden and the Sixers.

Embiid started strong, doing his part with an early parade to the free throw line, but as the margin grew and Harden struggled mightily to get it going (as did Tyrese Maxey and just about everyone else on the Sixers), it quickly got away from Philly. Embiid finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, but saw Harden only add 11 points and Maxey score just four as the Sixers’ starting backcourt was a combined 5-for-24 from the field.

It was simply a beatemdown kind of night from the Nets, who seemed to have a little added juice for this one. Seth Curry enjoyed his return to Philly, pouring in 24 points on his old team, and seemingly everyone on the Brooklyn side rose to the occasion in a way the Sixers simply did not.

Simmons even got a touch in as a loose ball bounded down the court towards the Nets bench, where he leapt into action and scooped it up, soaking in the boos from the despondent Philly crowd.

By the fourth quarter, the game was no longer in doubt and Sixers fans who paid big money to get in the door (the resale market was over four figures just to be in the building) were left with no one to boo but their own team as they headed to an early exit.

After the game, Durant was delighted by the way Brooklyn silenced the Sixers crowd.

Sixers fans hoped for a cathartic release on Thursday night, but instead were treated to a Nets victory lap that will leave more questions than answers for a still-unproven Philly side when it comes to big games. Brooklyn made its statement and now all eyes will be on the standings, because a first round series between these two is more than possible with the Nets still firmly in the play-in.