Getty Sixers guard Ben Simmons scored 17 points in a losing effort against Miami in Philadelphia.
It wasn’t a clear path to the basket, but there was an opportunity to drive and draw contact.
Instead, Ben Simmons kicked it out to Al Horford for a three-point attempt that clanked off the back of the rim. Yes, the shot would have won the game for the Sixers but a jumper from Simmons would have tied it.
Better yet, Simmons could have tried to get a foul call. None of that happened on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center and the Sixers picked up their first home blemish in a 108-104 loss to Miami.
After the game, Sixers coach Brett Brown was asked about the controversial no-shot from Simmons. He had absolutely no issue with the decision.
“Ben was trying to do the right thing and probe. At that point, it’s a two-point game and we didn’t have any timeouts. It’s on the fly. It’s an open look and so I’m not unhappy with that,” Brown told reporters. “I give Miami credit. They crowded the paint. Ben’s a missile playing downhill, they showed a crowd, he kicked it out and a two would have tied it, a three would have won it. I don’t mind the look.”
Wonderful job by Nunn standing up Simmons on the drive here. With no rim protection behind him, it’s a tie game if Nunn doesn’t hold.
The game was a back-and-forth affair for much of the night. The Sixers opened up with a 10-point lead in the first quarter only to see the Heat rally back to take an eight-point lead into the halftime locker room.
Philadelphia went on a torrid fourth-quarter run and almost evened it up. The Sixers fell just short in the end as their home record dropped to 14-1.
Sixers Fans Boo Jimmy Butler at Wells Fargo Center
Jimmy Butler was a fan favorite during his half-season in Philadelphia. That doesn’t matter anymore.
Sixers fans let Butler have it on Wednesday night as he returned to the city for his second time as a visiting player. It seemed like every time the man known as “Jimmy Buckets” touched the basketball, he got booed.
Butler finished with 14 points in 34 minutes, while Kendrick Nunn (26 points) and Bam Adebayo (23 points) paced the Heat in their road win. Joel Embiid (22 points) and Tobias Harris (20 points) led the Sixers in scoring.
Butler knew he was going to get booed. It happened the last time these two teams met on Nov. 23. He doesn’t care.
“I don’t give a [bleep] about no boos, man,” Butler told the Philadelphia Inquirer before the game. “Let’s stick to basketball. Everybody wants to talk about some boos. It’s a basketball game.”
Ben Simmons Gets Grief on Social Media
Ben Simmons was close to a triple-double after putting up 17 points, along with six rebounds and six assists. He also played frustrating defense against Jimmy Butler down the stretch.
However, the main takeaway from the Sixers’ 108-104 loss to the Heat was his refusal to take on Kendrick Nunn with the game on the line. Sixers fans flooded Twitter after the game to express their frustrations with their gun-shy superstar.
Jimmy: “Y’all seen how Ben Simmons shoots that ball no wonder he goes to the paint”
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