Ben Simmons steps his game up as Nets defeat Grizzlies
Nets guard Ben Simmons dribbles the ball up court against the Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Kyrie Irving is back, but it is Ben Simmons who has officially arrived.
Simmons stole the spotlight Sunday night by posting a season-high 22 points along with eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Nets to a 127-115 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center.
It was the third straight impressive game for Simmons, who struggled early in the season to find his game after taking a year off because of back and mental health issues.
Simmons, who came off the bench in the previous five games, got the start Sunday because Nic Claxton was excused for personal reasons.
“I think immediately you saw a force he played with,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “It was a relentless attack of the rim.”
It also was the first game since Nov. 1 for Irving, who missed eight straight games after the team suspended him without pay on Nov. 3 in the wake of his linking to an antisemitic movie on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. Irving, who apologized in a news conference on Sunday morning, had his suspension lifted an hour later. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
The Nets (8-9) were led by Kevin Durant’s 26 points. Durant has scored at least 26 points in all 17 games this season, surpassing Michael Jordan’s mark of 16 straight games with at least 25 points to start a season. Jordan set the record in 1998-99.
Yuta Watanabe added 16 points and was 4-for-6 from three-point range.
Seven Nets players scored in double figures, including the five starters.
The Nets caught a break, given that the Grizzlies were without their top three scorers.
Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, who each scored 38 points in the Grizzlies’ victory over the Nets in October, were out with an ankle sprain and a toe injury, respectively. Jaren Jackson Jr. took the night off as he eased back from foot surgery.
Dillon Brooks led Memphis (10-7) with 31 points. Jon Konchar had 16 points and Steve Adams had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
More Brooklyn Nets
