The Philadelphia 76ers put an end to the Lakers 10-0 record in road games this season thanks to a huge winning play from Tobias Harris at the final second of regulation (106-107).
The Sixers’ head coach Doc Rivers talked on the impact of Ben Simmons, who finished the game with a triple-double to help his team remain at the top of the Eastern Conference (13-6).
(via Ky Carlin of USA Today Sports):
“He was huge,” Rivers said after Wedneday’s night victory. “The numbers will say the offense, but the defense and all the other little things he did was unbelievable. He’s playing great.”
Rivers explained why Simmons is crucial for his team throughout the season, even without putting up numbers in the offensive end.
“It’s funny, on his low scoring nights, you look at the game film and he’s flying all over the place,” Rivers explained. “The winning things he does, it’s hard to put into numbers and unfortunately…and his brilliance sometimes is missed by a lot of people.”
Simmons is averaging a career-low 13.0 points per contest this season. However, his presence is really highlighted in other categories like rebounding (8.6 per game), assists (8.0 per contest) and defense.
On Wednesday’s night victory over the Lakers, he recorded his 31st career triple-double putting up 17 points along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while he defended Anthony Davis and LeBron James for most of the night.
