Watch: Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons splashes his first three of the season
The Philadelphia 76ers had a dominant 24-point victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night. The biggest story of the 116-92 blowout came from Ben Simmons, the 76ers' star point guard, who hit a rare 3-pointer in the first quarter. Philadelphia improved to 3-1 with the win over the Orlando.
Watch: Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons pulls up from three and connects
Simmons has been ridiculed since his entry in the league for his unwillingness to shoot the three. Last season, Simmons made his first 3-pointer as an NBA player, and he has since attempted more, but still very sparingly. He was two of 24 from behind the arc for his career entering Thursday night's game. Instead, Simmons revolves his game around speed and physicality. He's a good shooter, but not great. His 59.3% free-throw shooting has also been one of his weaker attributes since his arrival in Philadelphia.
But tonight, Simmons was feeling it from beyond the arc and took his shot. Less than 4 minutes into the game, Joel Embiid fed SImmons who had a wide-open look from 24 feet away near the right baseline. The swish immediately brought the 76ers bench to its feet and started a buzz across social media.
The Orlando Magic were the final unbeaten team in the NBA before this loss, but their run has come to an end, and the Philadelphia 76ers jumped into first place in the Eastern Conference with this win.
The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten tremendous production out of stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to this point in the season. Simmons is averaging 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game thus far, while Embiid is averaging a team-leading 28.3 points and 13.3 rebounds.
The NBA's Eastern Conference is looking very strong this year, and will continue to see teams fight for the top spot until the very end. The Philadelphia 76ers are starting to emerge as one of the early frontrunners for that top position, and seem to only get stronger as their new players get more comfortable. Still, it's unlikely the 76ers will see their star Ben Simmons become a weapon from 3-point land, or continue to develop into one of the best shooters in the NBA.