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Simmons loses in 76ers debut, Nets’ Lin hurt
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AUSTRALIAN Ben Simmons was beaten in his debut while Asian-American standout Jeremy Lin suffered a severe right knee injury as the new National Basketball Association season tipped off on Wednesday for most clubs.
Simmons, a 21-year-old forward from Melbourne, was the top pick of last year’s NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers but missed all of last season with a broken right foot.
Simmons made his much-awaited league debut at Washington, where the 76ers lost their season-opener to the host Wizards 115-120 despite 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists by the Aussie.
“I felt like I was playing (a video game), honestly,” Simmons said.
John Wall scored 28 points and Bradley Beal added 25 for the Wizards, but Washington clung to only a 115-113 edge with 1:44 remaining after Simmons sank two free throws to end a 7-2 Sixers run.
Turnovers doomed two chances for the Sixers to equalize in the dying seconds, and the Wizards went 5-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.
“How about Ben Simmons’ first game in the NBA?” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. “His first game was really exceptional — really, really exceptional.”
Joel Embiid had 18 points, 13 rebounds and one block in 27 minutes after leg injuries kept him to only 31 games in his first three NBA seasons.
A day after Gordon Hayward suffered a broken left leg, it was Brooklyn’s Lin, the NBA’s first US player of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage, who went down in Indiana’s 140-131 home win over the Nets.
Lin, who scored 18 points, was hurt with 4:53 remaining, landing awkwardly after a drive to the basket, and helped off the court with a right knee injury.
“We just hope he’s OK,” Nets forward Caris LeVert said.
Lin played only 36 games last season due to nagging hamstring injuries.
Hayward made an emotional video appearance at Boston’s home opener saying he would be “all right,” but it was Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo who spoiled the night for the Celtics, scoring 37 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to spark the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-100 victory.
Elsewhere in the NBA on Wednesday, it was: Trail Blazers 124, Suns 76; Rockets 105, Kings 100; Spurs 107, Timberwolves 99; Jazz 106, Nuggets 96; Hawks 117, Mavericks 111; Pistons 102, Hornets 90; and Magic 116, Heat 109.
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