76ers social media takes shot at Ben Simmons after win vs. Nets
On Wednesday night, Ben Simmons saw his first action on the Wells Fargo Center floor as an opponent in the Brooklyn Nets' 137-133 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Following the intense matchup, the Sixers' Twitter account took a subtle shot at Simmons.
Perhaps to rub salt in the wound, the Sixers posted a banner with Wednesday's final score, accompanied by a blowing smoke emoji, the same one Simmons often posted ahead of games as a Sixer.
In 2020, the Sixers posted a brief clip of Simmons revealing the emoji as his favorite on World Emoji Day.
As expected, the Philly faithful weren't kind to Simmons. Whether it was expletive-filled chants or the random jeer from a fan, Wednesday night wasn't your typical end-of-January regular-season contest.
The energy was palpable, and it translated on the court. Things got chippy more than a few times, resulting in seven combined technical fouls between the two teams.
The primetime matchup everyone tuned in to see pitting Sixers star Joel Embiid against Simmons didn't disappoint. The pair exchanged words and glances several times throughout Wednesday night's spirited affair.
Simmons appeared game to defend Embiid early but turned down multiple opportunities to finish on the other end.
One of the game's signature moments came near the end of the first half when Simmons bailed out under the basket, allowing Embiid to slam home an emphatic two-handed dunk to the delight of Sixers fans.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters following the game that the crowd was like a "party."
"I turned to the coaches and said, 'this is a boxing crowd tonight,'" Rivers said. "They want to see 'em drop the basketball, turn and duke it out."
Simmons finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and five assists. He saw 29 minutes of action but played sparingly in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Embiid finished second on the Sixers in scoring, recording 26 points with a team-high 10 rebounds and three assists. Embiid shot 6-of-18 from the field and a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line.
Tyrese Maxey led the way for the Sixers, scoring 27 off the bench, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range.
The Sixers have won six in a row and 11 of its last 13 games. Philly improves to 31-16, good enough for second in the Eastern Conference. They trail the first-place Boston Celtics (35-14) by three games.
For those curious, the Sixers and Nets won't meet again in Philly unless it happens during the postseason.
They meet twice more this regular season in Brooklyn. They'll battle again in two and a half weeks on Feb. 11 before matching up for the regular-season finale on April 9.
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