Ben Simmons made his highly anticipated return to Philadelphia on Thursday night, and 76ers fans made sure to let him know how they feel about him. The Brooklyn Nets got the last laugh, however, and Kevin Durant clearly enjoyed silencing the crowd.
The Nets cruised to an easy 129-100 win over the Sixers. Durant, who led Brooklyn with 25 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, was asked after the game if he and his teammates were motivated by the reception Simmons received at the Wells Fargo Center. The two-time NBA Finals MVP did not downplay it.
“Most definitely. I think all of us were,” Durant said. “We look at Ben as our brother. We knew this was a hostile environment and we knew he didn’t have the opportunity to play. We wanted to come out there and have (the fans) focus on the court more so than just always focusing on him. They focused on the court tonight. It’s hard to chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by that much.”
Simmons was supposedly hoping to be heckled to help his grievance case. If that’s true, he certainly got what he was looking for. Not only did 76ers fans boo Simmons, they also trolled him by cheering one thing that he did prior to the game.
Simmons is expected to return at some point in the near future. NBA fans are praying for a Nets-76ers series in the postseason.
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