Ben Simmons woke up feeling dangerous on Monday. The Philadelphia 76ers superstar erupted for a career-high 42 points against the Utah Jazz and was a match-up nightmare all game long. Unfortunately for Simmons, his career night came on a losing effort as the Jazz's winning run continued with a 134-123 win.
After the game, Simmons opened up on the Jazz's unique defensive approach to him, electing to put paint protector Rudy Gobert on the 6'11” guard (via Michael Scotto of USA Today).
“I loved when I saw Rudy (Gobert) was guarding me. I love being able to go at somebody like that. I felt like it was a little bit of disrespect putting him on me, but it is what it is.”
Ben Simmons, who scored a career-high 42 points, on Rudy Gobert: “I loved when I saw Rudy was guarding me. I love being able to go at somebody like that. I felt like it was a little bit of disrespect putting him on me, but it is what it is.” pic.twitter.com/sjfunBeTIE
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) February 16, 2021
Simmons made the most out of the mismatch right from the get-go. He exploded for 19 quick points in the opening quarter and never really stopped from there. With Joel Embiid being a late scratch, Simmons took it upon himself to lead his team offensively. Aside from his 42 points on a career-high 26 shot attempts, he also tallied nine rebounds and 12 assists in a near triple-double outing.
But in the end, Simmons' impressive output still was not enough to stop the surging Jazz squad as they rallied behind leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jordan Clarkson who also had a big evening as he scattered 40 points off the bench.
Regardless of the loss, the Sixers have dominated the Eastern Conference so far with Ben Simmons' impressive showing on both ends, plus Embiid's MVP-worthy season.
Follow Us
Subscribe