Ben Simmons leads Philadelphia 76ers on Route 3

Philadelphia 76ers Division Ben Simmons He had the defense in his hands in the first half of Friday’s 127-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Hawks tries to pursue the star Bring youth No simple task.

But with the sixes sticking to a five-point lead at the break, Simmons took only four points for that spot – matching his point total from Game 2 – and Philadelphia coach Doug Rivers challenged him to do more.

“We thought he’d passed the post with a lot of opportunities – at a fast pace, so we told him we were going to come out and put him in the position,” Rivers said of Simmons. “He’s the best of us, this is what we needed. It was great with his speed and power.”

In third place Simmons scored 11 of his 18 points and added three of his seven assists. Playing on the road, Philadelphia beat Atlanta by 15 in the quarterfinals, starting 8-8 at half-time as a team. Simmons and fellow Sixers star Joel Empiat Score or help at 30 of Billy’s 34 points during this period.

Young, who scored eight assists and scored more than 28 points in a game in a 9-for-17 shootout, said, “It’s definitely their pace that got them split.”

According to ESPN figures and data compiled, Simmons finished saving Young 42 out of 85 plays.

“It gets tiring when you think about what we tell Penn to do: follow Tray Young, follow him around the screens and push the ball fast on the ground,” Rivers said. “We talked for half the time, and one of my coaches reminded me that he was in custody when I was screaming about Trev.

“He also protects Trey,” he said. So, it’s hard, but he’s young, he has endurance, so this is good for us. “

When asked later about Rivers’ half-time order, Simmons tried to block out a satisfied smile.

“I try to push the pace, go on the tracks, find my comrades and be aggressive. Go to the edge,” he said. “I think it did a good job, that second half.”

This is Simmons’ first game Rudy Cobert Named the Utah Jazz Defensive Player of the Year, but he seemed to be his second-place finisher, as well as the second-placed Empide past to the MVP.

“Congratulations to Rudy. I mean, that’s it,” Simmons said. “I don’t really care about personal awards. I want a championship. So that’s my goal. Honestly, the goal is never to be the defensive player of the year. It’s about going out there and doing my job and trying to be the best defender in the league regardless.

“But the ultimate goal is a championship. That’s why I had to do my job at the highest level.”

Embide finished with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, becoming the second 76ers player in owner history to average 35 points and 10 rebounds in three game playoff intervals. Wild Chamberlain, According to Elias Sports Bureau research.

Like the rivers, Simmons encouraged Empide to take charge as Atlanta overshadowed him. Clint Chapel All the way from the ground then sending the double teams in his direction.

“I told him,‘ You have to be aggressive, you have to attack because there’s a lot of space, especially in the way they protect me, ’Empide said. “So I told him to be aggressive. Go out there and dominate.”

Simmons confirmed that Embide was staying in the mix and, of course, found the All-Star big man with a fantastic game of the night: a shoulder alley-off, a cut in the third quarter by midfield. Up to 16.

“We know each other and we’ve been playing together for a long time,” Empide said. “He knows me, he knows where I need the ball, and I know how I can open him. So this is a good pass. I did everything I could to finish it.”