BEN Simmons has continued an astonishing start to NBA life, becoming the first Australian to record an NBA triple-double while leading Philadelphia to their first win of the season.
The Sixers, winless from their first three games, threatened to let a huge lead slip but held on for a 97-86 victory away at Detroit on Tuesday (AEDT).
Rookie Simmons was simply superb, notching 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists — all career highs — to secure a triple-double in just his fourth game.
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It continued a phenomenal starting streak for Simmons’ who on Sunday became just the second player in NBA history — behind the great Oscar Robertson — to begin his career with 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in his first three games. Simmons has now done it four times, closing in on Robertson’s record of six.
Simmons also becomes only the fifth player to start his NBA career with four successive double doubles, and first since Shaquille O’Neal last did it.
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Brian Seltzer
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We'll just keep tracking this for as long as it applies.
Ben Simmons career-starting dbl-dlb streak at 4. 5th player to do it (@bball_ref)
6:48 AM - Oct 24, 2017
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Sixers Stats
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.@sixers G-F @BenSimmons25 is first @NBA player to start career w/ 4 straight dbl-dbls since @SHAQ did so in his 1st 11 games (@EliasSports)
6:57 AM - Oct 24, 2017
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“I’m just glad we won, honestly,” Simmons said.
“That means so much more than stats for me.”
“Our team played well together and we played the right way. I’m just happy we got our first one.”
Simmons is first 76ers player to notch a triple-double in more than two-and-a-half years.
Further putting the performance in perspective is the fact he managed the feat one year and three months faster than LeBron James did.
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He’s also only the third player in NBA history to have a triple-double inside four NBA games and the third 76ers rookie ever to manage one