Sixers go splat in 129-100 loss to Nets in Ben Simmons’ return to Philly

Allen Iverson arrived before tip-off. Julius Erving rang the bell. And the boos grew loud as soon as the lights came up following starting-lineup introductions, when the home spectators collectively realized Ben Simmons was in the Brooklyn Nets’ huddle as tipoff neared in the reviled former 76er’s return to Philly following last month’s blockbuster trade.

But perhaps the timeout entertainment about midway through the second quarter — when two inflatable Franklin mascots dropped themselves face-first on the hardwood as the Drowning Pool’s song that repeats “Let the bodies hit the floor” played — best represented the Sixers’ performance in the actual game played on an emotionally charged night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers went splat in a 129-100 rout by the Nets, prompting the home crowd to shift its distaste from Simmons to its own team for much of the game.

“We got our ass kicked,” said James Harden, whom the Sixers acquired in the trade that sent Simmons to Brooklyn. “Since I’ve been here, everything has been sweet and we’ve been winning games. And so tonight was good for us. We get an opportunity to come down to reality, watch film, and just continue to get better.”

» READ MORE: Fans welcome Ben Simmons back to Philly for Sixers-Nets: ‘I had to come and boo him myself’

It was the first true stinker in the Harden era now with a six-game sample size. With the loss, the Sixers (40-25) are now a game back of the second-place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings, and just 1/2 game ahead of the fourth-place Chicago Bulls and one game in front of the fifth-place Boston Celtics. It also gave the Nets a 3-1 win in the teams’ regular-season series, though this game was most representative of the rosters each team will take into the playoffs (besides Simmons’ eventual expected return from a back issue).

Sixers coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he was curious to see how his team’s defense would fare against a potent Nets offense spearheaded by Kevin Durant (25 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists) and Kyrie Irving (22 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds).

The answer: quite poorly.

Brooklyn shot 56% from the floor, including 18-of-40 from three-point range (11-of-20 mark from deep in the first half) and led by as many as 36 points. The Sixers, meanwhile, shot 32.3% (including less than 30% during the game’s meaningful minutes) and committed 20 turnovers that the Nets parlayed into 28 points.

A portion of the offensive troubles could also be attributed to an uncharacteristically poor shooting night for Harden, who missed 11 of his first 12 attempts and finished 3-of-17 from the floor for 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Oddly enough, his first make was the three-pointer that pushed him past Reggie Miller and into sole possession of third place on the NBA’s all-time list in that category. Miller, a TNT commentator, was in the house wearing a blue Harden jersey to congratulate Harden on his accomplishment.

But Rivers emphasized that his team’s struggles stemmed from far more than Harden’s off night.

The coach said his team “succumbed” to Brooklyn’s physicality on both ends of the floor, noting the Nets “blew up simple dribble-handoffs that we run. ... That’s a problem. That should never happen.” Rivers also called the Sixers’ attempts to trap defensively “awful.” Harden added “our spirit wasn’t where it needed to be offensively” because they did not move the ball or get into the paint for kick-out three-pointers. Starting forward Tobias Harris cited a lack of intensity defensively preventing the Sixers from getting out in transition.

“I can’t explain it to you, honestly,” Harris said. “We’ve been rolling and playing well, so it does affect us,” Harris said. “But it was also a wake-up call for us that we’ve got work to do. We’ve got to get better in a quick period of time, and we’ve got to figure out ways to better ourselves as a group so we don’t have nights like this.”

Rivers began emptying his bench at the start of the fourth quarter. And during those final minutes, faint-but-noticeable chants of “Broooooklyn” rippled through the stands from the celebratory visiting fans. Later, they chanted Simmons’ name, with the clap, clap, clap-clap-clap cadence at the end.

Andre Drummond had flipped from one of Embiid’s most notable trolling targets to teammate earlier this year. But they were foes again Thursday, matching up as starting centers.

The MVP-contending Embiid finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, but generated the vast majority of his points on a 15-of-19 mark from the free-throw line. Drummond, meanwhile, totaled 7 points and 7 rebounds in 21 minutes.

Embiid quickly drew three first-quarter fouls on Drummond, including a rip-through move and on a powerful finish through contact off a baseline drive. Drummond’s highlight on Embiid during that spurt was an early block from behind.

That matchup was short-lived in the first half, when Drummond never reentered in the second quarter. Embiid also helped draw Bruce Brown’s four first-half fouls, prompting Nets coach Steve Nash to go to Nic Claxton and James Johnson in the frontcourt.

The sometimes-volatile Drummond Experience was on display in the second half, when he whiffed twice at the rim but did secure a pass from Durant for a layup late in the third.

And Drummond did give Sixers fans something to cheer about, when he missed two consecutive free throws to send everybody home with a free Wendy’s frosty.

Embiid chose not to speak to the media after the game.

A first-quarter Seth Curry scoring flurry used to be great news for the Sixers. Thursday night, it helped the Nets build their insurmountable double-digit lead. Curry eventually finished the night with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point range.

Curry scored nine points in the opening frame by making four of his six shots. He buried a three-pointer on a set-up from Drummond, got former teammate Tyrese Maxey in the air on a pull-up and used a nifty off-the-dribble move to convert in the lane to put the Nets up, 26-15.

Curry then made two more three-pointers after returning in the second quarter to match his scoring average (15 points per game) with the Nets in the first half. In the third, he hit a falling deep shot and then another three-pointer, which forced Rivers to call timeout with his team trailing , 90-65, at the 6:02 mark. About 30 seconds later, Curry collected a steal and converted the transition layup to stretch the Nets’ lead to 94-65.

“We know how good of a shooter he is, but we allowed him to have too much space,” Harris said. “The ability that he has to come off screens and make threes and make open shots, he got too many good ones tonight. He had a hell of a game, for sure.”

And unlike the Simmons reaction, the crowd’s behavior was cordial toward Curry. Many cheered while he was introduced in the Nets’ starting lineup.

Even if the game had not turned so lopsided, the on-court action was essentially the secondary event. This was the Sixers’ fans’ first chance to let it rip against Simmons.

As Embiid shot free throws with about one minute left in the first quarter, the “[expletive] Ben Simmons!” chants that pockets of spectators had attempted to start throughout the quarter grew louder and louder. Simmons nodded his head from the bench.

He was booed again when he emerged from the tunnel after halftime. They expressed their displeasure again when Simmons rose from the bench to collect a loose ball to toss it back to an official, while Nets staffers sitting behind the bench sarcastically countered with cheers.

The final boos arrived as he left the floor, taking his team’s 29-point victory with him.

“It’s hard to chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by that much,” Durant quipped after the game.