Ben Simmons Put On A Show Against The Cavs As The Sixers Put Up 78 First-Half Points

Friday night’s anticipated showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t live up to the hype in the first half… if you are a fan of the Cavaliers. On the Sixers side, though, everything went beautifully, and the end result was an utter explosion from Ben Simmons as a catalyst for his team’s 78 points in the first 24 minutes.

Cleveland’s defense has been problematic for much of the season, and that was certainly the case prior to halftime in Philly. Still, Simmons was out of his mind, putting together a display of high-end skills that are virtually unstoppable for a player of his size.

All told, Simmons finished the first half with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in less than 17 minutes of court time, and while he was on the floor, the Sixers outscored the Cavs by 15 points. There was no shortage of highlights, and frankly, it was difficult to choose between them all, even in such a short period of time.

From a team perspective, Philadelphia’s 78-point performance doubled as the most productive half for the franchise since 1992, and for the better part of 24 minutes, the team felt utterly indefensible. Reactions were swift across the league, whether it be for Simmons as a potential ROY frontrunner or for the Sixers as a dangerous playoff entity with Joel Embiid nearing a return to the floor. Still, it can’t be overstated just how impressive this particular snapshot was for both player and team, and it will be intriguing to follow Simmons and the Sixers as April (and, potentially, May) progresses.