Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid launch the Sixers past the Rockets
Even for a Rockets squad sans Chris Paul, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers was supposed to be a simple assignment. Philly was missing 2017’s top pick Markelle Fultz and premiere sharpshooter J.J. Redick, but Houston failed to take advantage of their inferior competition.
Ben Simmons maintained his staggering scoring outburst while teammate Joel Embiid punished the smaller Rockets frontline in limited minutes. With his combination of creative passing angles, aggressive trips to the rim, and otherworldly athleticism, if you weren’t looking right, you might’ve mistaken the Australian playmaker for a young LeBron James.
The final result of the high scoring affair was 115-107 in favor of Philadelphia. Though the Sixers are below .500 for the season, they are beginning to justify claims that they matchup with anyone on any given night.
Sixers standout Ben Simmons is disproving the preconceived notion that he wouldn’t be able to realistically compete for Rookie of the Year with all of the scorers on offense calling for the ball. Not only has he mixed his name into the conversation, he’s leading all rookies in scoring, sits second in rebounding and leads the assists category by a mile. All this, while on the cusp of averaging a triple double.
As the 76ers continue heading in the right direction, Houston has look a flustered as they’ve struggled preserve their winning record since Paul went down with an early season injury. Since his exit, the Rocket’s have gone 4-3 and loosing to the Grizzlies twice and clinging to life against the limited Kings.
Eric Gordon has done his best to fill the void in Paul’s absence, scoring an even 25 points per game. However, his shooting percentages are inefficiently low and his sporadic production can’t be sustained. Without a timetable for CP3’s return, the Rockets need to find a solution quickly or they could find themselves fighting an uphill battle for a top seed come playoff time.
