NBA: Ben Simmons and 76ers vs Pistons, Live updates, text commentary, score and highlights

Brian Seltzer/NBA Australia
and others
• 5 min read
#Drummond Simmons

In one week, the 76ers will play their final game of the regular season.

A few days after that, perhaps as early as April 15th (AEDT), the team will then enter the playoff field.

Readying a club for post-season competition is nothing new for Brett Brown, who, as an assistant, played an intricate role in guiding San Antonio to the playoffs 12 times in as many years as he spent the Spurs.

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The dynamic, however, is entirely fresh for Brown in the context of his tenure on the Sixers’ sideline.

On one hand, there are still significant, attainable goals the club hopes to achieve before the playoffs begin.

With five games left on the regular season docket, and three coming against opponents with sub-.500 records, the 47-win Sixers have a legitimate shot at finishing the campaign with 50 victories. Currently the four-seed in the Eastern Conference, they also hold their own fate for home-court advantage in the playoffs’ opening round.

Considering where the franchise was at this same time two years ago, the fact that the above possibilities are both very much in play represents massive progress in and of itself.

Oftentimes in the past, when reflecting on his playoff runs with San Antonio, Brown has described post-season basketball as being an entirely different beast than the regular season. Intensity is sky high, the game slows down, preferred options tend to be taken away, and star power rises to the occasion.

The atmosphere is one that many of the Sixers have yet to encounter.

So, with a successful regular season wrapping up, Brown finds himself trying to manage the Sixers in a way that satisfies present and future aims alike. It’s a balancing act that becomes all the more tricky when taking into account that the Sixers’ schedule won’t allow for a single practice day until they cross game no. 82 off the list. 

As a result, Brown is using the Sixers’ last few contests to situationally test things out, in ways, he said, that aren’t “to the detriment” of the team’s primary remaining objectives of clinching home court, and stockpiling more wins.

These are waters Brown intends to tread with measured steps. 

“I’m not in the mood to go bananas on experimenting with stuff,” he told reporters Tuesday. “I want to win.

“If [experimenting]...doesn’t feel right, like it’s too risky, or the game’s not in a position that makes me feel comfortable, then I’m not doing it.”

FOLLOW LIVE:

Sixers win 115-108. Make that 12 wins in a row.


 

The dimes keep coming for Philly.


 

FULTZ!!


 

Ersan filling it up again.


 

Sixers with a healthy 65-49 lead at the main break.


 

 

Holmes is making his rpesence felt inside! He's got nine points.


Simmons with the slock dime for thr3333


 

WATCH OUT FOR RICH HOMIE!


END of 1Q: 76ers 36 Pistons 28


Rich Homie!!


Spin cycle for Simmo:


Deeeetroit basketballll:


 

The 76er FIVE:


Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers 

Date: Thursday 5 April

Time: 9:00am AEDT

Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

TV: Not available on Australian Television

TV Streaming: You can live stream the game using NBA League Pass

Author(s)
Brian Seltzer/NBA Australia