Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons made NBA history at the expense of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, MLK Day.
The Brooklyn Nets had no answer for Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons Monday afternoon as the 23-year old put together a historic performance at the Barclays Center.
In a 117-111 76ers win, Simmons recorded a triple-double with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
With this stat line, the former top overall draft pick became the first player in NBA history to have a 30-point triple-double with five steals while shooting at least 80 percent in the same game.
Ben Simmons today at Nets:
– 34 pts
– 12 reb
– 12 ast
– 5 stl
– 12-14 FGHe is the first player in NBA history to have a 30-point triple-double with 5 steals and an 80% shooting percentage in the same game (via @EliasSports). pic.twitter.com/L1PYhZF0Ak
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 20, 2020
Simmons is now averaging 15.7 points per game this season, with 7.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists.
The former LSU Tiger has now posted at least a double-double in each of his last two games against the Nets as he scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a Dec. 15 win at the Wells Fargo Center.
With the win, Simmons and the 76ers improved to 29-16 on the season and are now tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference with the Indiana Pacers.
For the Nets, Simmons’s big day ended up being the difference as they suffered a close six-point defeat.
In the loss, Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn with 22 points while Caris LeVert scored 16 and rookie Nicolas Claxton added 15. Jarrett Allen (13), Taurean Prince (13) and Joe Harris (12) also scored in double figures despite a losing effort.
Kyrie Irving did not play for Brooklyn as he rested a tight right hamstring.
With the loss, the Nets are now 1-2 against the 76ers this season and will finish the season series Feb. 20 in Philadelphia.
The Nets are now 18-24 on the season and hold a three-game lead over the Detroit Pistons for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
Brooklyn will be back in action Thursday when they play host to LeBron James and the Western Conference-leading Lakers at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.
