Ben Simmons returned to Brooklyn for the first time since leaving the Nets after the NBA’s free agency period, and it is safe to say it wasn’t the most welcoming of receptions.
The three-time All-Star was met with boos when he first checked into the game, even hyping up the Brooklyn crowd to keep it coming.
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Further to that, Nets beat writer Erik Slater reported that there was no thank you graphic on the jumbotron for Simmons unlike their recognition of other returning players.
Simmons went scoreless in his 17 minutes, adding three assists and three rebounds, while fellow Australian Patty Mills even got playing time in the 132-100 blowout win for the Clippers.
Mills went 3-for-4 from downtown and made all five three throws on his way to 14 points.
Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Clippers with 31 points while Keon Johnson (13) top-scored for the Nets, showing just how dire of a performance it was from Brooklyn.
The Clippers, meanwhile, have now won 10 of their last 12 games.
PISTONS MAKE HISTORY WITH WIN OVER CAVALIERS
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 32 points to lead Detroit to a 133-122 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, a triumph that assured the Pistons of their first winning NBA season since 2016.
It also meant the Pistons became the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season.
Hardaway connected on seven of 11 from three-point range on the way to his season-high, leading seven Pistons players to score in double figures.
That included Ausar Thompson with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Schroder with 17 points and 10 assists as Detroit improved to 42-32 — tripling their win total from last season.
They had to do it without Cade Cunningham, who missed a third straight game with a bruised calf, and Tobias Harris, who was a late scratch with Achilles tendon trouble.
The Pistons withstood a 38-point performance from Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, who helped the Cavs erase a 21-point deficit to close within two with 3:31 to play.
Detroit responded with a 12-1 run to seal the win, which most importantly pushed their lead for fifth place in the East to one and a half games over the Milwaukee Bucks, who fell 116-107 to the New York Knicks.
OG Anunoby scored 20 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter for the Knicks, who handed the Bucks a third straight defeat despite 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo — who returned after missing one game with a foot sprain.
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STEPH RETURNS IN STYLE FOR WARRIORS
Golden State superstar Stephen Curry scored 23 points in his return from a two-game absence with a pelvic contusion, lifting the Warriors to a 111-95 victory over the Pelicans in New Orleans.
The Warriors got off to a sluggish start against the struggling Pelicans, who were without Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum.
But Curry scored 13 points in the second quarter to help the Warriors keep it close despite woeful shooting from three-point range.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he thought Curry “looked great” and his team as a whole looked better as the game went on.
The Warriors picked things up on both ends of the floor in the second half. Jimmy Butler added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, who remained seventh in the West and battling to avoid the play-in tournament.
The Clippers remained in sixth — the final spot for direct entry to the playoffs — after a their victory over the Nets.
The Clippers and Warriors have the same 42-31 record, the Clippers holding the head-to-head record tiebreaker.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are just half a game back in eighth after a 124-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The Denver Nuggets, fueled by 27 points and 14 rebounds from NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, cruised past the Utah Jazz 129-93.
Denver led from start to finish, Jokic and the rest of their starters sitting out the fourth quarter of the rout.
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