Kevin Durant says 'it felt good to quiet down' 76ers fans booing Ben Simmons / News - Basketnews.com

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Ben Simmons's return to Philadelphia with the Brooklyn Nets was as rowdy as one could have imagined.

Player of the Game EFF 33 Kevin Durant Points 25 Accuracy 10-17 Rebounds 14 Assists 7

The three-time NBA All-Star didn't play a single game with the 76ers in the 2021-22 season before being traded to Brooklyn in February. Although not cleared to play yet, Simmons make the trip, he even took the court in pregame warmups. The avalanche of boos that greeted him was every bit as loud and relentless as expected.During warmup, the 25-year-old guard/forward didn't shoot, but instead just passed to teammates. The arena got heated again in the later stages of the game when Simmons decided to pick up a loose ball that bounced his way along the bench.

His Brooklyn teammates applauded the crowd’s boos, all of them smiling and laughing because by then the scoreboard had rendered their rants irrelevant.

Brooklyn’s imposing 129-100 win in Philadelphia was highlighted by Kevin Durant's and Kyrie Irving's performances, as the two stars combined for 49 points at 20/31 from the field. "It just felt good to quiet all of them down midway through the game," Durant said in the post-game presser. "It was very quiet towards the end. We ain’t hear no more Ben Simmons chants from the Sixers fans."“We look at Ben as our brother,” Durant said.

Brooklyn’s playoff path likely begins in the Play-In Tournament. If they win their first game, it will be the seventh seed, with Philadelphia in play to be opposite them at No. 2.

By then, Simmons will probably be playing, and he will have to speak and play and win for himself.

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