Sixers star Ben Simmons puts up shots with Dwight Howard after win

The Philadelphia 76ers were able to squeak out a 113-107 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday to begin the season, but it was not pretty. The team had to rally back and win after a dismal third quarter as they need a heroic performance from Joel Embiid to get the job done.

A game like this one could cause some concern figuring that the Sixers just absolutely struggled after halftime. That was a performance that the starting unit shouldn’t be proud of as they were outscored 24-15 in the third before rallying behind Embiid.

After the final buzzer, Ben Simmons went back out on the floor and he put in some extra work. He finished with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds, and seven assists, but he felt like he needed to put in more work while being joined by Dwight Howard.

“Something I need to do to,” said Simmons. “Get back on the floor, Dwight’s been pushing me to get better so now he came out on the floor with me. Got some shots up. He’s just pushing me. He wants me to be great, and I really appreciate that.”

Howard continues to be a solid veteran for this team and he has been a guy who looks like he will be in both Simmons’ and Embiid’s ear for them to improve. Considering the career Howard has had, that is something that Simmons welcomes.

“I respect him a lot, especially with the career that he’s had,” Simmons added. “He’s someone I know that’s come into this organization to push me and believes in me so to have that and have somebody do that, it makes you feel good makes, you want to work, makes you hungry, and had that’s great.”

The Sixers will now turn their attention to the New York Knicks on the road on Saturday.