Redick, Simmons lead Sixers to 11th straight
PHILADELPHIA » J.J. Redick scored 19 points and Ben Simmons had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to their 11th straight victory, 121-95 over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Neither Simmons nor Redick played in the fourth quarter for Philadelphia, which won its third consecutive contest without All-Star center Joel Embiid. Embiid had surgery on Saturday after suffering an orbital fracture in his left eye in Wednesday’s 118-101 win over the Knicks. Embiid will be out for the remainder of the regular season and is slated to return for the playoffs, although his exact return date is not known.
The 76ers are headed to the postseason for the first time since 2012 and are vying for home-court advantage. Philadelphia began Tuesday in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of fifthplace Indiana and a half-game behind third-place Cleveland. The 76ers have five games remaining.
Marco Belinelli added 17 points for the 76ers (47-30), who also didn’t have starter Dario Saric (cellulitis right elbow).
Spencer Dinwiddie had 16 points for the Nets (25-53).
The 76ers were up 61-49 at the half and took control in the third quarter. Philadelphia scored 11 of the first 12 points of the period, capped by Redick’s fast-break layup with 8:36 left that made it 72-50. They went on to outscore the Nets 32-22 in the period to take a 93-71 advantage into the fourth.