PHILADELPHIA. Those who came to boo and curse inactive former 76ers star Ben Simmons also went home miserable over what happened on the court, thanks to a dominant two-way performance from Kevin Durant and the Nets.
The Brooklyn holdover stars silenced the venomous Wells Fargo Center crowd who chanted “Fk Ben Simmons” loudly several times before redirecting their anger at the home team. On Thursday, the Nets scored a crushing 129-100 victory over James Harden and the 66ers in the first meeting since the team’s blockbuster swap a month ago.
“It was a good environment to start with, but it didn’t end there,” Durant said. “When we left the court, I didn’t feel that way. Like I said, it was like a regular game.
“But I liked how we approached the game, how we played physically and didn’t let any of that affect what we wanted to do. The audience, no matter who we played with tonight, I felt like we were locked in.”
Kevin Durant celebrates with Nick Claxton and the Nets have a crushing 129–100 victory over the 66ers and former teammate James Harden. Getty Images (2)
Duran scored 25 points in three quarters on 10-of-17 shooting with 14 rebounds, and Kyrie Irving followed up his 50-pointer earlier this week in Charlotte with 22 points and five assists as the Nets climbed back over .500 (34-34). ). 33) with his second victory in a row.
“The guys have been great, we’ve got our second win in a row, and let’s see if we can keep building,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “I think it’s great for our confidence. We’ve had such a tough stretch here because of injuries and we’re trying to pull it all together and build some cohesion.
“It brings everyone together a bit and gives us faith and confidence in what we’re trying to do.”
Kyrie Irving rides James Harden during the Nets’ crushing win.Getty Images
MVP contender Joel Embiid outscored Philadelphia 40-25 with 27 points and 12 rebounds, including 15 of 19 from the free throw line. But Harden, who was mostly defended by Irving, clattered 12 of his first 13 shots in the first half and scored 3 of 17 overall for 11 points.
Both 76ers stars finished with minus 30 ratings in their first six-game loss since Harden was acquired on February 10.
“We have received our [butt] kicked out,” Harden said.
Ben Simmons (right) greets his former coach Doc Rivers (left). Getty Images
“It was sweet. I loved it,” Irving said of the win. “It’s great for our league to be able to evoke so much emotion on a night like tonight. I felt like we made a commitment to playing aggressive defense. … When you step into an environment like this, we knew there would be very active fans and we wanted to enjoy it.”
Simmons, 25, showed up to fall short with his former fans after approaching the Sixers last summer for a trade. He sat out the entire season before last month’s deadline and also cited mental health issues as a reason to stay away. The three-time All-Star still needs to improve his fitness after suffering back pain after a trade.
“You’re coming at Ben,” said Irving, “you’re coming at us.”
Kevin Durant, who scored 25 points, dunks during the Nets’ convincing victory over the Sixers. USA TODAY Sports
The game clearly resembled the playoffs even before the start of the game, among those present were the legends of the “Sixers” Julius Erving and Allen Iverson. Dr. Jay even tinkled the Liberty Bell before the game.
Barely a minute into the game, the first of several loud chants of “Fk Ben Simmons” broke out from the home crowd, but Duran raced down the lane and yelled something at Iverson and Erving after a decisive dunk. Irving also buried a pair of early 3-pointers, and both stars scored 11 points in the first quarter as the Nets took a 40-23 lead.
Meanwhile, Harden only hit one shot in the quarter, but it was a three-pointer to surpass Reggie Miller for third on the all-time list, behind only Stephen Curry and Ray Allen.
Brooklyn led with 24 points in the second quarter and shot 64.1 percent from the floor to go 72-51 before the break, and by the end of the third, the cushion had widened to 32.
“We look at Ben as our brother,” Durant said of Simmons. “We knew it was a hostile environment… but it’s hard for you to sing about Ben Simmons when you lose so much.”