Last week, Ben Simmons told reporters he believes he’s “the best defender in the NBA.” Monday night in Salt Lake City, he showed the world that he can show out on the offensive side of the floor as well. Here are some notes from his career night against the Jazz:
Lighting It Up
Simmons destroyed his career high for points with 42, topping his previous mark of 34, set twice in his career: In December of 2019 against the Cavaliers and last January against the Nets.
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A Complete Game
Along with his career-high 42, Simmons also had 12 assists and nine rebounds, just missing his 32nd career triple-double. According to Sportradar, no 76ers player has reached all of those numbers dating back to the 1981-82 season. League-wide, it’s been done only 13 other times over the last 40 seasons, five of them by James Harden.
12 Minutes of Funk
Ben got off to a lightning-fast start, dropping 19 points in the first quarter, a career high for points in a quarter, and the most in a first quarter by a 76er since Jodie Meeks(!) in 2010. He also scored 15 in the third quarter, marking last night as the first time he had scored double digits in multiple quarters in a game.
NBA
Doing It All Early
Along with his 19 points in the first 12 minutes, Simmons added five assists. Dating back to 1996, the only other 76ers player to have 19 points and five assists in a quarter is Allen Iverson, who had 20 & five dimes in 2005 against the Bucks.
Living At The Line
Simmons’ offensive explosion was augmented by a near-perfect night at the free throw line. A career 60% shooter, Simmons dropped 12-of-13 (92.3%) from the charity stripe. It’s his best game shooting at least eight free throws in his career; his previous best was a 9-for-10 night last January against the Warriors.
Shooooooooooot!
Not surprising that last night set a new career mark for field goals in a game (15) for Simmons, and he broke his personal record for attempts with 26, topping the 24 shots he took as a rookie in 2017. Coincidentally, Simmons’ top three games with regard to field goal attempts all came against the Utah Jazz.