Ben Simmons called out his Philadelphia 76ers for their toughness after a blowout loss in Miami on Monday night.
The Sixers lost 137-106 after Miami ran away with it in the second half. It was a 4-point game at halftime before the Heat outscored Philly by 16 in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth.
Simmons said after the game that his team was “soft” in the loss.
#Sixers PG Ben Simmons:”We were soft.”
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) February 4, 2020
His big issue was the team not fighting through screens.
Ben Simmons: "We were soft.”
“Soft is just don’t get bullied, fight over screens, get through screens. If you gotta knock somebody down, knock 'em over. If you gotta hit somebody in the face, knock 'em down to make sure they don’t score, hit 'em in the face.” pic.twitter.com/wd01bqbFlC
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) February 4, 2020
Philly allowed the Heat too many easy baskets. The Heat made 56.6 percent of their shots, went 16/32 on threes, and 25/30 on free throws.
The outcomes was not at all surprising; the Heat are now 22-3 at home, while Philly is 9-18 on the road. Plus, the Sixers lost in Boston on Saturday night and had Sunday in Miami, where the Super Bowl was. Expecting them to be at their best for the game would have been a stretch.
