BEN Simmons did it but Giannis Antetokounmpo did it that much better as Milwaukee Bucks cruised past the Philadelphia 76ers 123-108 in NBA action.
Simmons, returning from a back injury which kept him out of the previous game, finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
Antetokounmpo was on another level however with 32 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.
He became the first player since Wild Chamberlain (1965-66) to record four straight 25-point, 15-rebound games to open a season, the win moving the Bucks to a 4-0 season start.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 30 points and 19 rebounds.
Two young superstars go toe to toe. Picture: APSource:AP
Fellow Australian Joe Ingles was also overshadowed – but by one of his own teammates, and the Utah Jazz got the result they wanted in the process. Donovan Mitchell grabbed 38 points in a confidence-boosting 100-98 victory over NBA western conference rivals Houston Rockets.
Beaten 4-1 by the Rockets in last season’s conference semi-finals, the Jazz took advantage of Chris Paul’s suspension and fellow star James Harden’s late injury exit as they bagged a road win.
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Australian starter Ingles scored 11 points, including three three-pointers from six attempts, to go with six rebounds and three assists as guard Donovan dominated the Jazz scoring.
Harden had scored 29 points when he headed straight to the locker room midway through the last quarter, while veteran Carmelo Anthony added a season-high 22 for the Rockets.
Patty Mills went from hero to zero – quite literally – against the Indiana Pacers.
Ben with the bounce, Furkan with the finish. pic.twitter.com/qHk6wCIgGP
.@BenSimmons25 goes behind-the-back and finds @dariosaric in the corner! @StateFarm Assist of The Night pic.twitter.com/3jmYa218DB
2nd triple-double of the season. pic.twitter.com/V3E2oNrcME
After securing a previous start win for the San Antonio Spurs over the LA Lakers with a jump shot in the last six seconds, the Australian had a disappointing night with no points from his 25 minutes.
The Pacers were comfortable 116-96 winners over the Spurs DeMar DeRozan (18 points).
Meanwhile LeBron James won his first game as a Laker, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in a 131-113 victory against the host Phoenix Suns.
Lance Stephenson had 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists off the bench, and JaVale McGee led five starters in double figures with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points and Josh Hart made his first start of the season for Los Angeles and scored 15.
Spicy Steph Curry sinks 11 threes vs Wizards!0:00
NBA: Steph Curry torched the Washington Wizards on Thursday, dropping a season high 51-points… The barrage included an incredible 11 buckets from beyond the arc.
Ben Simmons has picked up where he left off. Picture: APSource:AP
Boosted by the off-season acquisition of Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors continue to set the pace early in the NBA season.
Leonard scored 35 points and added five rebounds as the Raptors took their record to 5-0 with a 112-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Oakland Steph Curry dropped 51 points as his Golden State Warriors downed the Washington Wizards 144-122.
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Originally published as Big Ben’s triple monstered by Greek Freak
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