Nets use Ben Simmons' insults as motivation during 76ers game

As expected, Ben Simmons faced plenty of invective from the Philadelphia faithful in his return to Wells Fargo Center, but it was the Nets who had the last laugh on Thursday night, blowing out the Sixers by a score of 129-100 in their first matchup since February’s blockbuster Simmons/James Harden trade.

Simmons, who has yet to make his Nets debut, was on the bench for the game and had no tangible impact on the outcome, but his teammates said they used the boos and insults aimed in his direction as motivation, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“Most definitely,” star forward Kevin Durant said. “We look at Ben as our brother, so we knew that this was a hostile environment and we knew he didn’t have an opportunity to play, so we wanted to come out there and have them focus on the court more so than just always focusing on him. So they focused on the court tonight, and it’s hard for you chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by that much.”

It’s a safe bet that Simmons will face more vitriol during future visits to Wells Fargo Center, especially once he’s actually on the court. But head coach Steve Nash said it was good for the three-time All-Star to get through his first experience as a visitor in Philadelphia.

“He looked good to me. He looked happy to be here,” Nash said, per Lewis. “I think he was happy to get it out of the way.”

Here are a few more Nets-related notes:

• Nash said on Thursday night that Simmons won’t be a full participant or play any 5-on-5 during Saturday’s practice (Twitter link via Alex Schiffer of The Athletic). There has been speculation that Simmons will return to action before the end of the month, but there’s still no set timeline for his  Nets debut.
• Although Simmons was the focus on Thursday, another player who came along with him in last month’s trade played a key role in Brooklyn’s victory over Philadelphia. As Peter Botte of The New York Post details, Seth Curry‘s 24 points (on 10-of-14 shooting) against his former team were the most he had scored in a game since becoming a Net. “You could tell that he was really up for the game and up for the environment in returning to (face) his old team,” Nash said.
• The Nets’ home-heavy schedule in the season’s final month means that Kyrie Irving is now eligible to play in just four more regular season games due to his COVID-19 vaccination status, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com observes. Irving also wouldn’t be able to participate in a play-in game if it takes place in Toronto or Brooklyn. If the season ended today, the Nets would visit the Raptors to battle for the No. 7 seed — if they lost that play-in game, they’d host Charlotte or Atlanta for the No. 8 seed.
• While that outlook for Irving may sound ominous, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on Wednesday that the team still believes the point guard’s status will change in the not-too-distant future (hat tip to NetsDaily). “I think around the Nets there’s still a confidence – maybe even more than an optimism – that they’re going to get Kyrie Irving on a full-time basis at some point,” Wojnarowski said.