Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons willing to battle through sickness against Hawks

Despite being questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, it looks like Ben Simmons will play for the Philadelphia 76ers after all.

With the NBA playoffs officially getting underway in less than a week, the Philadelphia 76ers picked the perfect time to begin playing some of their best basketball, as the team is arguably one of the hottest in the league at the moment by winning each of their last 14 games. Even with Joel Embiid sidelined since the end of March with an eye injury, the Sixers continue to find impressive ways to win games, mainly due to the presence of Ben Simmons.

Expectations were high for the former No. 1 pick heading into this season after missing all of last year due to a foot injury, but nobody expected Simmons to make this much of an impact so fast for Philadelphia, as he has the team in the race for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Between his 12 triple-doubles along with the contributions made to help the Sixers enter Tuesday’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks on a 14-game winning streak, it’s no secret just how valuable Simmons has been all season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up taking home Rookie of the Year honors when the time comes.

Until then, Philadelphia is focused on doing whatever it takes to secure that No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with two games remaining since the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t too far behind in the rear view mirror. Tuesday’s game against the Hawks may seem like a favorable matchup on paper, but Simmons realizes the importance of these final two games for the Sixers, which is why he’s not going to let an illness stand in the way of him playing.

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Obviously, the timing of this is horrible for Philadelphia since the final two games will determine whether they do in fact earn that No. 3 seed, but also this shows just how valuable of a leader Simmons truly is. When looking at everything on the line, Simmons realizes what’s at stake these final two games, and as annoying as the sickness may be to deal with, it’s nothing he can’t handle against a team like the Hawks.