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The Brooklyn Nets beat the Phoenix Suns 127-117 Wednesday behind a promising game from Ben Simmons and a career game from Tyrese Martin.
Simmons, who has little to show for through his first three seasons in Brooklyn, had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win. His 14 points were the most he has had in an NBA game since November 2022 in his first season with the Nets.
Along with a good game from Simmons, Martin put up a career-high 30 points on 8-of-10 from deep. Coming into the game, the third-year player had logged just 31 points across his entire career.
Suns’ star Kevin Durant, going against his former team for the first time this season, put up 29 in his second game back from injury while Devin Booker recorded 31 points. The Phoenix stars’ performances weren’t enough and the Suns have now lost six of their last seven games.
After the game, fans were stunned to see strong performances from Simmons and Martin.
The Nets are still far from being a championship-contending team, but Wednesday was a good sign that things are moving in the right direction in Brooklyn.
Simmons’ play in the win was reminiscent of his days with the Philadelphia 76ers when he nearly averaged a triple-double and seemed like one of the best young players in the league. Simmons has had some setbacks over the last few years, but if he can string a few more games like Wednesday’s together it might give him some much-needed confidence.
As for Martin, he has to feel good about himself after his scoring outburst against the Suns. The young player will likely see his number get called more often moving forward if he can keep hitting shots from deep.
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