Jusuf Nurkic fires back at Ben Simmons over trash talk

Things got a bit heated Sunday between Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic and Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons.

Simmons was overheard telling Nurkic “you talk a lot of s–t for being ass” after shooting a free throw during Saturday’s game. The quote went viral on Twitter during the game as well.

Naturally, Nurkic was asked about what Simmons had to say, and he had some trash talk of his own.

“I think I’m better shooter than him. I mean, I’m for sure (a better shooter). The way he’s able to shoot, or not able to shoot, is ridiculous.” — @bosnianbeast27

— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) February 23, 2019

It’s worth noting that both Nurkic and Simmons led their teams in scoring on Saturday. Simmons poured in 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting, while Nurkic went 9-of-13 for 24 points as part of a double-double.

On the whole, there’s no easy winner here. Simmons has a better shooting percentage, but he’s still a non-factor from beyond the arc and has never made a three-pointer in the NBA. Then again, Nurkic is a .077 career three-point shooter, so it’s more or less a wash.

Simmons hasn’t been afraid to get some jawing in lately. While it worked in a win last time, the Sixers dropped Saturday’s game 130-115 to Nurkic’s Blazers.