Ben Simmons returns, helps Nets rout shorthanded 76ers

PHILADELPHIA — The boos from 76ers fans rained down once Ben Simmons entered the game Saturday. The sound repeated any time he touched the ball and occasionally, fans lobbed insults at him.

Simmons’ third game at Wells Fargo Center as a visiting player may have seemed hostile but he just smiled through it. Without scoring or taking a shot, he left his mark on the Nets’ 136-121 win.

After missing Wednesday’s game with a left knee contusion, Simmons returned with nine rebounds and five assists. A turnover five seconds into checking in was atoned for with assists on consecutive possessions to start an 11-0 Nets run in the first quarter.

“It’s funny to me. I got grown men [upset] and yelling at me, you know,” said Simmons, who was traded by the 76ers to the Nets in Feb. 2022. “It’s like, I get to go home after this, get the win. For me, I’m all about winning, so come here, do my job and get to go home. But it’s fun.”

Simmons, a plus-7 on the court, had plenty of help. Cam Thomas scored 40 points with five assists, his third game with at least 40 points this season. It was also his first with a win thanks to him scoring 21 points in the third quarter.

The Nets (20-28) led by as many 30 points in the second half and only a late flurry by the 76ers’ reserves made the score look closer than it was.

“The game is really revealing itself to him,” coach Jacque Vaughn said of Thomas. “Whether he’s going to take a shot, produce something for a teammate . . . I really think the way he’s seeing the game is really impressive."

The Nets are now 2-0 in games Simmons has played since returning from a back injury. They also had their two best single-game assist totals this season after dishing out 35 assists as well as two of their three highest single-game scoring nights of the season.

They also made 21 three-pointers in both games, a total they only matched two other times this season.

“He makes the game so much easier for everyone else, especially if you’re a shooter who wants to shoot, who likes to shoot like myself,” said Lonnie Walker IV of Simmons. “It feels good to play with someone as athletic as him as well.”

Mikal Bridges added 23 points, including 17 in the first half. After making 48 three-pointers in January, Bridges kept up his pace with five three-pointers as he and Thomas crossed 20 points together for the third consecutive game.

The Nets also defeated the 76ers (30-18) for the first time since March 10, 2022. It ended a streak of nine consecutive losses, including a sweep in last year’s playoffs.

But this wasn’t the same 76ers team that beat them by 22 points on Nov. 19 at Barclays Center. The 76ers had four regular starters out, including All-Star center and reigning MVP Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey had 23 points but the first time All-Star guard shot 8-for-23 as the Nets keyed their defense on him.

Walker added 20 points for the Nets and Nic Claxton had 12 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

Dennis Smith Jr. was the latest injured Net as he missed Saturday with right foot soreness. But the 76ers felt Embiid’s absence more as the Nets won the rebounding battle 53-44.

By the fourth quarter, there were faint chants of “Brooklyn” in the arena as 76ers fans left for the exits. Simmons just smiled with his teammates as he left Philadelphia a winner for the first time.

“This is really the only reason I play the game, to get wins,” Simmons said. “I’m proud of the guys tonight. It’s always fun to come back to Philly and have this kind of environment, so . . . I enjoyed it.”

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.