The Philadelphia 76ers took the court Saturday without their prized rookie point guard Ben Simmons, but that didn’t seem to be much of a problem for the Sixers, who disposed of the Orlando Magic with ease in a convincing 130-111 win at home.
Key to the Sixers success in that contest was TJ McConnell, who temporarily took over as the team’s starting point guard. The third-year pro out of Arizona did his best Simmons impersonation, nearly pulling off a triple-double with 15 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds across 37 minutes of action. McConnell also had three steals and a block.
McConnell had an easier time doing his job running the point thanks to a number of good scoring options around him, and he singled out Sixers shooting guard JJ Redick as one during interviews following the game, via USA Today:
“He's a point guard's dream when it comes to shooters.”
“He's the best I've ever played with.”
Redick was on fire from behind the arc against his former team, going 8-for-12 on his three-point attempts, finishing with a team-high 29 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the field.
So far this season, the 33-year-old Redick is averaging 16.1 points on 44.9 field goal shooting percentage and an impressive 41.3 percent from long distance.
McConnell will slide back to the bench once Simmons comes back from an elbow injury that doesn’t seem to be serious, but he’ll remain a quality backup point guard for the Sixers, who will look to win their fourth straight contest on Monday against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.
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