Simmons does it all as 76ers ring in playoffs with a rout
Joel Embiid used some body english as he scampered down the baseline and tried to will Marco Belinelli’s off-balance 3-pointer through the net.
Belinelli buried it, because of course he would. Even the wild ones go in of late for the Sixers.
With their injured Embiid on the bench, the 76ers proved one more time in their biggest game in six years they can romp without their All-Star. Embiid wore a white mask as he rang a miniature Liberty Bell — then the Miami Heat got their bell rung in Game 1 of the first-round series.
Ben Simmons had 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds in his playoff debut, and the Sixers rolled to a 130-103 victory on Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
“I feel this group has something special in it,” coach Brett Brown said.
Led by four each from JJ Redick and Belinelli, the 76ers hit a team playoff-record 18 3-pointers (on 28 attempts).
The Sixers have stormed through the NBA since mid-March and the Heat were just another victim in a winning streak that includes nine straight without Embiid.
He was a spectator because of a broken orbital bone around his left eye and has remained hopeful from the outset he can return early in the series. The Sixers could end this one in a hurry with Embiid back in the lineup.
Simmons helped compensate for his absence and dished and dazzled in the paint. The Heat also had no answer for Sixers super subs Ersan Ilyasova and Belinelli; the duo combined to hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter that helped shift the tone from physical and foul-filled to a longdistance game that allowed the Sixers to put away this one. They used a 15-0 run in the third in their first postseason game in five seasons under Brown to get the rout rolling.
Brown, who won championships as an assistant in San Antonio, won 47 games his first three seasons as the Sixers underwent the Process — and 52, plus Game 1 this season.
Redick, who said he briefly lost vision in his left eye following a hard fall early in the game, scored 28 points to lead the Sixers, who host Game 2 on Monday. Belinelli had 25 and Ilyasova
17.
Embiid ditched the black mask he’s been wearing in light shooting drills for a white “Phantom of the Opera” mask to ring the ceremonial Liberty Bell before tipoff.
The Sixers, who set an NBA record with 16 straight wins to end the season, got the rout in full swing in the third quarter with a raucous crowd behind them. The Heat shot 26 percent in the third and were outscored 34-18. Simmons assisted on Ilyasova’s 3 and then hit a jumper for a 66-63 lead. Dario Saric, whom the Sixers waited for two years to come over while he played overseas, also buried a 3 off an assist from Simmons. Simmons made a statue out of Olynyk, crossing him up and busting through for a two-handed slam that brought down the house. PELICANS 97, TRAIL BLAZERS 95 >> Anthony Davis had 35 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and New Orleans beat host Portland in Game 1 of their playoff series. Jrue Holiday added 21 points, outplaying both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and had a big blocked shot in the closing seconds as New Orleans held on after Portland erased almost all of a 19-point deficit. The sixthseeded
Pelicans were the only road team to win on the opening day of the NBA playoffs.
Lillard finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while McCollum had 19 points. Game 2 is Tuesday night in Portland.
RAPTORS 114, WIZARDS 106 >> Serge Ibaka had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Delon Wright scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and host Toronto snapped a 10-game losing streak in playoff series openers by beating Washington.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points, C.J. Miles and OG Anunoby each had 12, and Kyle Lowry had 11 points and nine assists for the Raptors. Toronto entered having lost an NBA-worst 10 consecutive Game 1s since, including six at home.
The top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, Toronto made 16 of 30 3-point attempts, with Miles making four, and Ibaka and Wright each hitting three. The Raptors host Game 2 on Tuesday.
John Wall had 23 points and 15 assists for the Wizards, while Markieff Morris had 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Bradley Beal scored 19 points for Washington, while Mike Scott had 14.