Ben Simmons in good spirits despite loss to Sixers: ‘I’m just happy as [bleep] to be on the floor’

NEW YORK — The guy 76ers fans love to hate is loving life. And his former Sixers teammates have to love what they accomplished Monday night — even if it doesn’t count.

Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets were supposed to destroy the undermanned Sixers in a preseason opener for both teams at the Barclays Center. Instead, Philly prevailed, 127-108, without starters Joel Embiid, James Harden and P.J. Tucker and reserve Danuel House, while the Nets played stars Simmons, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant.

But this exhibition game between Atlantic Division rivals had multiple storylines.

It marked Simmons’ first game against his former team since forcing a blockbuster trade to the Nets on Feb. 10. It also marked the first game he’s played since the Sixers lost a decisive Game 7 of the second-round series to Atlanta on June 20, 2021. That was 470 days before Monday.

Simmons finished with six points on 3-for-6 shooting to go with five assists, four rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes — all in the first half.

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who only played before intermission, led all scorers with 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting in just 13 minutes, 50 seconds of floor time.

Furkan Korkmaz and rookie two-way player Julian Champagnie both added 15 points.

In the first half, the Sixers scored 67 points on 21-for-46 shooting. They made 8 of 14 three-pointers in the first quarter alone.

While this game was an exhibition, it was just another example of the Sixers stepping up with their best players sitting out.

“I think we just got a whole bunch of dogs on our team that are ready to eat,” said Paul Reed, who had 10 points, three steals, five rebounds, and one block while starting at center in place of Embiid. “So they get that opportunity, we all know what we have to do.”

But the game was all about Simmons.

“I thought I would be anxious and nervous, but I’m excited about getting on the floor,” Simmons told The Inquirer before the game. “It’s not even about playing against Philly in the first game. It’s about getting on the floor.

“People don’t even know the other side of that, I worked so hard to get back on the court with this back injury I was dealing with.”

Simmons dealt with a herniated disk. Things are going better for the 2018 rookie of the year who has been with a physical therapist following back surgery in May.

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But he also had to deal with his grievance with the Sixers.

In August, Simmons and the Sixers reached a settlement that allowed him to recoup a portion of the nearly $20 million that was withheld after he failed to play in games before being traded.

“The combination of everything going on is a lot,” he said. “For me, I had to take a step back, get my rehab done, and work my way onto getting back on the floor.

“So I’m just happy as [expletive] to be on the floor, to be on an NBA court, man.”

There were mostly cheers when Simmons was introduced during starting lineup introductions. The crowd even chanted “Ben Simmons” after he scored his first basket. And there were oohs and aahs after his assists.

One of his crowd pleasers was a behind-the-back no-looker to Nic Claxton in the second quarter.

But it wasn’t all love.

There was a large contingent of Sixers fans in attendance who booed Simmons. They cheered when the point guard missed a pair of foul shots in the first quarter.

Simmons said he didn’t really have any feelings about facing the Sixers.

“A lot of people try to create a fake beef or whatever is,” he said. “Like, if I have an issue with somebody, I’ll just [expletive] tell them.

“If somebody got an issue with me and they don’t say anything, but they want to talk behind my back, then that’s a personal thing. That’s them. I can’t get caught up on that. But I’m just happy to be on the court.”

It wasn’t surprising that Embiid, Harden, and Tucker all missed Monday’s matchup. Coach Doc Rivers previously said at least three starters would sit out the preseason opener. Rivers said he actually told the trio on Thursday that they wouldn’t play.

Being sidelined didn’t prevent Embiid and Harden from exerting a lot of energy. The two standouts stayed at Basketball City facility Monday to work out long after that morning’s shootaround.

Meanwhile, House missed the game with a stiff neck. The swingman was elbowed in the neck during last week’s training camp at The Citadel.

Tucker had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee this summer. Meanwhile, Embiid, who suffered an orbital fracture near his right eye and tore a ligament in his right thumb against the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs, had surgery on the thumb and a procedure on his left index finger following the postseason. And Harden was hampered by lingering left hamstring tightness throughout the season. All three players are said to be healthy.