The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers faced off for the first time since the Ben Simmons-James Harden swap, and things did not go as expected for one of the teams.
Surprisingly, the Nets were able to go into Philadelphia with Ben Simmons in tow, and deliver a convincing 29 point win over Harden, Joel Embiid and the Sixers. While Simmons was there, he sat on the bench cheering his new team on the whole time.
Any time he drew attention to himself, the Sixers fans rained down boos, but that had absolutely no impact on the game itself as both Harden and Embiid struggled to keep the Sixers in it.
While this was a regular season game, there were a lot more eyes on this matchup than usual, and it looks like it’s even the dawn of a new rivalry. Nets superstar Kevin Durant fanned these flames after the win and took a few shots at the fans.
Durant Takes Aim
Following the game, it’s no surprise the players had a lot to say considering how hyped up this game was.
When he got his chance at the podium, Durant wasted no time in not only defending his teammate Simmons, but also taking a shot at the fans in Philadelphia who heckled the new addition all game long.
“We look at Ben as our brother, so we knew that this was a hostile environment and we knew that he didn’t have the opportunity to play, so we wanted to come out there and have [the 76ers fans’] focus on the court more so than just always focusing on him,” said Durant. “So they focused on the court tonight. It’s hard for you to chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by that much.”
Fans started to clear out before the game ended, and Durant noted that he heard more Nets fans in the building. This isn’t anything new for him as he did it before, the previous time referring to Knicks fans.
Nets Have a Tough Road
Getty ImagesKevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets looks on from the bench next to Ben Simmons
Taken in a vacuum, the version of the Nets that demolished the Sixers look to be true championship contenders, but things aren’t as simple as that.
Kyrie Irving can still only play in road games, and the Nets are currently hanging onto the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning they’d have to get into the playoffs through the play-in tournament.
With a strong finish to the year, there’s a chance they could avoid that entirely, but that would mean Simmons has to get ready in a hurry and return to the lineup. There’s still hope Irving could become a full-time player, but time is quickly running out for that as well.
Durant alone looks to be enough for the Nets to get into the playoffs, but he’ll definitely need some help if they want to advance far. Andre Drummond and Seth Curry look like they are big pick ups, but the Nets will definitely need to get their Big 3 together in some way or another if they want to win a championship.
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