This was published 7 years ago
Ben Simmons closer to NBA debut with Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons has taken a significant step towards his NBA debut during a training drill before the Philadelphia 76ers' comeback win over the New York Knicks.
In a buzzer-beating moment, TJ McConnell hit a baseline jumper to give the Sixers a 98-97 win.
Philadelphia 76ers player Ben Simmons is closer to his NBA debut.Credit: AP
But the sight of No.1 draft pick Simmons completing 5-on-0 drills promises to give just as much inspiration to the Sixers.
Simmons hasn't played this season after breaking his foot in a training camp.
"To even see him today go through five-on-zero stuff, not a lot, not at a hundred per cent, but with us in a 76ers uniform, the gym got a lift, you could feel it," Sixers' coach Brett Brown said.
Simmons could be ready to play within a month although Brown is reluctant to put a timetable on a return.
When Simmons eventually makes it onto the court, Brown would like to think the 20-year-old could have the same impact as Joel Embiid who had 21 points and 14 rebounds on Wednesday night.
"We believe Ben is going to be in that same species, that same genre," he said.
"You feel like that's going the way that we hoped that it would."
Brown insists Embiid is a huge part of Philadelphia's future and a big reason the Sixers have won four of five.
Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points to help the Sixers rally from a 17-point deficit.
During the dying seconds, Kristaps Porzingis found himself open for a three- pointer that would've sealed a win for the Knicks.
But his shot ended up being an airball which led to McConnell completing the Philadelphia comeback in grand fashion.
Derrick Rose returned from a one-game hiatus and scored 25 points for the Knicks.
In other games, Russell Westbrook posted his 18th triple-double of the season as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 103-95.
Westbrook finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for the 55th triple-double of his career.
He already has matched his triple-double total from last season less than halfway through this one.
Last year's total was the most for a player since Magic Johnson had 18 during the 1981-82 season.
Isaiah Thomas scored 20 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics pulled away late for a 117-108 win over the Washington Wizards.
Andrew Wiggins scored 28 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and Shabazz Muhammad scored 20 to help the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Houston Rockets 119-105.
James Harden scored 33 points and had 12 assists for Houston, which saw its nine-game winning streak end.
AP