Wizards foul up Simmons strategy

>> Not that the Washington Wizards were likely to win their opening-round series against the 76ers anyway, but they learned Wednesday why gimmick game plans are best saved for emergencies.

Two nights after successfully employing it in Game 4, the Wizards went to the “Hack a Ben” strategy in the first half of a 129112 loss in the Wells Fargo Center.

This time, it backfired ... and their season soon ended.

Unlike Monday, when Ben Simmons’ late-game foul-shooting troubles helped them snare a late victory, the Wizards were ahead, 50-46, and playing fairly well when they began to deliberately foul Simmons off the ball Tuesday.

Within the next 22 seconds, Simmons made three of four free throws, reversing the momentum.

“I keep saying it: Stick with him,” Doc Rivers said. “He’s going to far more great games and less bad. That’s who he is.”

With Joel Embiid out with a right knee injury, Simmons started at center and provided 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Sixers won the series, 4-1. They will host the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday.

“He just does so much for the team,” Rivers said of Simmons. “He really does.”

Though he was replaced by Matisse Thybulle in the starting backcourt, Simmons did not reject Rivers’ plan.

“I don’t mind,” he said. “I’ll do whatever my team needs me to do. Wherever they are going to put me, they are going to put me, and I’ll make it work. My IQ on the court is so high, I will make plays happen.”

Simmons was 5-for-8 from the line after shooting 5-for-20 through the first four games of the series, providing some proof that the Sixers can withstand the loss of Embiid, at least for the short-term.

“Definitely,” Simmons said. “I think we’ve got the pieces in place to do it. We’ve been in this situation before, for the whole season, we didn’t have our whole team. We’ll do what we have to do. And it starts on defense.”

• •• Before the game, Simmons set a goal for Seth Curry: Score 30 points. Curry did exactly that, shooting 10-for-17, including 6-for-7 from distance, for his career playoff high.

“Jo wasn’t there,” Curry said. “So that’s a lot of playmaking that wasn’t there, a lot of scoring that wasn’t there. Everybody had to do a little more. I had the ball in my hands a little bit more and just tried to get to the right spots to make plays for me or my teammates.”

••• According to the Sixers, an MRI revealed “a small lateral meniscus tear” in Embiid’s right knee. They will put the All-Star center on a physical therapy program.

“He’s not in a good place that way,” Rivers said. “But he’s good. He’ll be fine.”

About 45 minutes before the game, Embiid took the court, wearing practice gear and no noticeable knee brace. He did some no-impact shooting drills and walked with no limp.

The early-arriving fans applauded his appearance.

Rivers said he did not know when Embiid, who is listed as “day-to-day” will return, but indicated a return for Round 2 of the playoffs is possible.

“I have no expectation other than I hope for him to be back,” he said. “But I can’t give you a timeline right now.”

••• Rivers will always appreciate Danny Ainge, who retired Wednesday as the president of the Celtics.

“When I was fired in Orlando, he took a chance on me,” Rivers said. “He believed in me. We made some changes, but every day Danny would come to me and say, ‘We’re going to get this right, I promise you. Don’t leave.’ He was as good as you can have to work for.

“He was a gambler. I loved him. He took some chances. There were times I disagreed with him, but I trusted him. I’d say, ‘I can see you want to pull the trigger. Let’s do it.’ Some of those things worked out. Some didn’t. But I talked to him today and he is in a great place. I am happy for him.”

• • • After a rough season, including complicated thumb surgery and a trade-deadline relocation to the Sixers, George Hill is still trying to become fully comfortable in his role as the backup point guard.

“It’s all behind,” he said, before settling for two points in 14 minutes. “You get injured and you get traded, you try to find your new role and you try to get in basketball shape. So it took a minute. But you go through the process. I am here, still trying to battle it out and find my way and doing what I can to help this team win.”

••• Shake Milton shot 4-for19 in the series, including 0-for-1 in seven quiet minutes Wednesday. Yet even before the capacity crowd of 15,523 had exited the arena, he was out on the court taking extra shooting work.

“He is going to do some things,” Rivers said, “to help us win games before this is over.”