The Sixers’ Ben Simmons returns fire on critic | Off the Dribble

Good morning, Sixers fans. Yet another dominating performance in Sunday’s 134-99 home win over the San Antonio Spurs increased the Sixers’ win streak to five games.

The Sixers are 3-0 since the All-Star break. They have Monday off before they begin back-to-back home games against the New York Knicks on Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Sunday marked the return of Ben Simmons, who missed the first two games after the All-Star break because of contact tracing. He had to quarantine for seven days after his barber tested positive for COVID-19.

While he was gone, Simmons was the subject of some heavy criticism, which he finally got to respond to Sunday.

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Few people outside of Washington have likely heard of Justin Kutcher, but the Wizards play-by-play announcer received national attention with his criticism of Simmons during the Sixers’ 127-101 win Friday at Washington.

Kutcher was talking about why he thought Sixers forward Tobias Harris should have been named to the All-Star team. And then Kutcher fired away at Simmons while Russell Westbrook was at the free throw line. Simmons earned an All-Star berth for the third consecutive year.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid’s MRI reveals bone bruise, no structural damage to Sixers All-Star’s left knee

“I’ve said it before and I know I’ll take flak for it, as Westbrook goes to the free throw line as the call on the floor stood, the challenge by Doc Rivers,” Kutcher said. “I think Ben Simmons is one of, if not the most, overrated players in the NBA. And he’s gotten so much love and attention that people aren’t paying attention to what Tobias Harris is actually doing on the floor.”

Simmons responded that evening by posting an Instagram photo of Kutcher that had been posted in January 2018. The photo showed Kutcher in a bathrobe holding a drink and wearing sun glasses.

“Another casual,” Simmons wrote with the photo.

Kutcher then double-downed on his comments by going to Twitter.

“Yep, I said that Ben Simmons is one of the most overrated players in the NBA, and I stand by it,” he tweeted. “I didn’t say he was BAD, just not as good as everyone makes him out to be. GREAT defender, potential DPOY, but I think he’s made All League/All Star Teams based on hype. And..goodnight.”

Simmons was asked about Kutcher’s comments Sunday after he scored 14 points and added nine assists in the rout of the Spurs.

“Usually I see a lot of [stuff],” Simmons said. “So when I saw that one, I had plenty of time because I was in quarantine still so I scrolled through his Instagram, saw who he was. It is what it is, he is a 5-foot-5 commentator for the Wizards, I can’t give it too much attention, I was just playing a little game with him, but it is what it is. Everybody has their voice and can say what they want, but it is what it is.”

The Sixers have played Washington three times and don’t meet the Wizards again this season. But it’s guaranteed that this won’t be the last we hear about this.

It’s not that easy to achieve a triple-double, although looking at players such as Russell Westbrook would suggest otherwise.

The difficulty of a triple-double was demonstrated Saturday when the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 119-97 win at Oklahoma City. That was Randle’s second triple-double of the season.

He became the first Knicks player to record two triple-doubles in a season since Mark Jackson in 1988-89.

The vastly improved Knicks will visit Brooklyn on Monday before facing the Sixers on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Nine players have had more than two triple-doubles this season. Here is the list, courtesy of landofbasketball.com:

1. Westbrook, Washington, 11

2. James Harden, Brooklyn, 9

2. Nikola Jokic, Denver, 9

4. Luka Doncic, Dallas, 8

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee, 6

6. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana, 5

7. Jimmy Butler, Miami, 4

8. LeBron James, L.A. Lakers, 3

8. Simmons, Sixers, 3

Tuesday: New York Knicks at Sixers, 8 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Wednesday: Milwaukee Bucks at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia/ESPN

Saturday: Sacramento Kings at Sixers, 8 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus

Sunday: Sixers at New York Knicks, 8 p.m., Madison Square Garden, NBC Sports Philadelphia

March 23: Sixers at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m., Chase Center, TNT/NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: I do not see the 76ers trading for a superstar prior to the March 25th trade deadline. I could see 1-2 lesser moves (example PJ Tucker, Barton, etc). What do you think 76ers will do? What options might they have? What do you think it will cost? — Paul Seeley, @Pseeley99 on Twitter

Answer: Thanks for the question, Paul. I originally felt that Daryl Morey would swing for the fences, which would mean trying to acquire Kyle Lowry from Toronto. If you asked me, I still think a big move like that will be made as opposed to some minor ones.

Morey has stated how much he likes his current team (and with good reason), but we’re wondering if he would make a big splash, which his history suggests is possible. As far as PJ Tucker, while I like his defense, I think at 35, his better days are well behind him. Will Barton would be interesting. He is shooting a career-best 40.3% from three-point range, but also earns $13.7 million this year with a $14.6 million player option next season, according to Hoopshype.com. If I were Denver, I would want one of these three players — Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton — to even begin discussions.

If the Sixers go for a lesser player, I would look at Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica, who is on an expiring $7.1 million contract. He shouldn’t cost much and can help from the perimeter even though this year he is shooting only 32.6% from deep; he is at 39% for his career.

That said, I will stick to my original thought that Morey will try to bring a bigger-name player to Philadelphia.