Sixers' Ben Simmons Reacts to Getting Knocked Over by Facundo Campazzo

Ben Simmons shrugged off getting "trucked" by Facundo Campazzo.
Sixers' Ben Simmons Reacts to Getting Knocked Over by Facundo Campazzo
Sixers' Ben Simmons Reacts to Getting Knocked Over by Facundo Campazzo /

The Philadelphia 76ers didn't play their best four quarters of basketball on Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets. As they geared up for the matchup that became their fifth-straight road game, the 76ers admittedly came out flat.

In the first quarter alone, the Sixers gave up 44 points to Denver and were already down 22 points in the first 12 minutes of action. 

There was a lot of talk about regarding the Nuggets' dominant opening quarter on Tuesday night. Still, the high-percentage shooting and high-powered scoring quickly became an old topic as everybody switched gears and wanted to talk about Facundo Campazzo knocking over Sixers star Ben Simmons. 

Midway through the second quarter, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey was getting pressed by Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo. As Maxey ran around to avoid Campazzo, his teammate Ben Simmons set up a pick so he could shake the defender and get the ball across half-court.

Campazzo not only didn't back down from Simmons, but he brought a lot of juice as the two made contact, and a little extra shove sent Simmons to the floor. Campazzo's actions probably should've been a foul call, but the whistles were silent.

Foul or not, social media couldn't stop talking about the five-foot-ten guard who trucked the much larger Ben Simmons. After the game, Simmons laughed it off. While he did say that one of the referees admitted at halftime that Campazzo should've been whistled for a foul, Simmons shrugged it off. However, Simmons did argue that if whistles are going to be silent when guys play physical against him, he expects it to be the same if the roles are reversed. 

"I don't think too much of [the play]," Simmons said after the game. "I mean, it is what it is. He's a feisty little mother. . . He's a feisty little guy. But I like that -- I like when guys are rough and physical. At the same time, if (the refs) are going to let them be physical, they gotta let us be physical because if you're gonna let me be physical with somebody like that, it's not going to end right."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA