Ben Simmons’ stat line made history on Martin Luther King Day as the Sixers star tied his career-high.
Simmons helped lead Philadelphia past the Brooklyn Nets on the holiday in a matinee game thanks to another triple-double. However, he achieved a first of its kind for the statistical accomplishment.
Ben Simmons’ historic triple-double
Simmons’ career-high for points was 34. In Monday’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, he tied that mark as part of his triple-double. Simmons grabbed 12 boards and also gave out 12 assists as part of the stat line.
What made it historic was the fact he also recorded five steals and shot 80 percent from the floor. Simmons hit 12 of the 14 shots he attempted in the game.
Per Elias Sports, that made Simmons the first player to record all of that in a box score for the same game.
Ben Simmons today at Nets:
– 34 pts
– 12 reb
– 12 ast
– 5 stl
– 12-14 FGHe is the first player in NBA history to have a 30-point triple-double with 5 steals and an 80% shooting percentage in the same game (via @EliasSports). pic.twitter.com/L1PYhZF0Ak
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 20, 2020
The Sixers All-Star also blocked two shots to further fill out his stat line. In addition, he played the most minutes of any player with 42 in the contest.
All of that aided his team in a 117-111 victory in Brooklyn on the holiday, as they continue to wait for big man Joel Embiid’s eventual return to the court.
Simmons receives praise after performance
Following the impressive performance, Simmons drew praise from teammate Furkan Korkmaz. The Sixers reserve posted a photo with the caption, “Good game fresh prince!”
Good game fresh prince! @BenSimmons25 pic.twitter.com/nlaxhXkjPZ
— Furkan Korkmaz (@FurkanKorkmaz) January 20, 2020
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown also heaped praise on his star player after the game, according to The Athletic’s Rich Hoffman.
“Ben was ridiculously dominant tonight,” Brown said. “He played some 4, I played him at a 5, he had the ball. He was just multi-skilled, used all over the place in multiple positions, ball-handler, screen setter, post target. He’s on the 5 man defensively. He was incredible.”
To make his accomplishments for the day even sweeter, Ben Simmons learned he had been named the NBA Player of the Week for the Eastern Conference. He retweeted the news on Monday evening in celebration of the achievement.
Yessir ? https://t.co/iNvkK4oGD6
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) January 21, 2020
With the victory, Philadelphia improved its overall record to 29-16 with a 9-14 away record. They’ll visit the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night for a game on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.