Ben Simmons, Sixers discuss defense against Mavericks star Luka Doncic
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The Philadelphia 76ers knew they were going to be in for a battle on Thursday night when they hosted the Dallas Mavericks. They were going to have to go to war against the explosive Luka Doncic and try to slow him down as best they can.
Luckily for them, they have Ben Simmons on their side.
Simmons smothered Doncic all night long and he did a terrific job of bothering him and forcing him into tough looks. There were not many shots that Doncic took that were clean, they were mostly tough looks all night.
He shot 3-for-9 in the first half with five turnovers and he was a minus-23.
“Just being me, do what I do,” said Simmons after the win. “I like taking those challenges. I’ve said this over and over again. Just tell me who to guard.”
This was one of the more impressive defensive performances by Simmons as he continues to make his case to be the Defensive Player of the Year as he has taken on the challenge of whoever the Sixers stick him on. It does not matter the position and it does not matter what status a specific player has.
“It’s great,” said veteran Dwight Howard. “I’m very happy to see how well Ben has been planning on defense, it’s been amazing. He’s picking up guards, he’s playing bigs, he’s playing one through five. A couple of days ago, he was playing against Rudy Gobert. Tonight, he’s against Luka.”
Doncic brushed Simmons’ defense off after the game.
Luka Doncic, asked about Ben Simmons' defensive prowess: "I don't really pay attention to who's on me. I just try to play my game. Sometimes I'm gonna play it better, sometimes worse."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 26, 2021
The important thing is, Simmons continues to lock up whoever the team asks him to. He has been terrific all season.
“He’s taking up the idea that ‘I can play anybody, I can check anybody on the defense,” said Howard. “I believe he’s the best defensive player in the league right now and he’s doing an amazing job.”
The Sixers will now move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday where Simmons will have to lock in on Collin Sexton out on the perimeter.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
