Ben Simmons navigated 76ers fans far better than the Nets navigated the 76ers’ offense.
In Simmons’ first game at Wells Fargo Center in 520 days, he looked healthy and aggressive while appearing to thrive on the relentless boos. Kyrie Irving played 30 minutes in his second game back since suspension. Kevin Durant poured in 20 points on 9 of 14 shooting.
The Nets halted a short two-game winning streak and head to Toronto on Wednesday for a back-to-back after a poor defensive effort and poor hustle, allowing the 76ers to shoot 50 percent from beyond the arc. The Nets shot just 32.1 percent from deep, Joe Harris and Seth Curry combining to convert 3 of 13 from 3. 76ers’ Paul Reed and Kyrie Irving battle for the ball in the Nets loss on Tuesday night.
Facing a shell of the 76ers, who got 14 first-half points from De’Anthony Melton, the Nets dug a 12-point hole. They were a step slow on defense and were out-hustled and out-sized to rebounds, the 76ers grabbing 11 more in the first two quarters. The Nets responded in the third quarter, when they made several runs to grab leads, but each was answered.
There would not be any silencing the 76ers fans, but Simmons tried early. The fans were never louder than when Simmons, who shot 33 percent from the foul line in the series loss to the Hawks, was sent to the foul line.
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