PHILADELPHIA — If there was any lingering animosity from last year’s rookie beef between Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons, it certainly wasn’t on display during Utah’s 113-107 loss in Philadelphia on Friday.
In their first head-to-head battle since the much-publicized 2017-18 Rookie of the Year race, Simmons got the edge against Mitchell, ending with a near triple double with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Mitchell finished with a game-high 31 points, including 13 in the fourth, but shot 13 for 35 from the field in 33 minutes. He had to put up shots offensively to keep his team in the game, which is how the sophomore guards are used differently for their teams.