Ben Simmons Says Game 2 Struggles vs. Celtics Were 'Self-Inflicted'

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons attributed his struggles in the 108-103 Game 2 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night to "overthinking."

Although he posted seven rebounds and five assists in the contest, Simmons had just one point on 0-of-4 shooting while committing five turnovers and recording a plus-minus of negative-23 in 31 minutes. It was the first time in his career he did not make a single field goal.

After the game, the Rookie of the Year candidate opened up about his "self-inflicted" struggles, via NBA TV:

The 21-year-old's performance was so rough that some believed Sixers coach Brett Brown should have stuck with T.J. McConnell (eight points on 4-of-4 shooting, five assists, two steals and a plus-minus of positive-16 in 17 minutes) over the former No. 1 overall pick down the stretch.

Brown, however, gave Simmons a chance to work through his struggles, subbing him in for McConnell with 5:29 to play with a 93-91 lead. Boston would go on to outscore Philadelphia 17-10 the rest of the way. 

Simmons dazzled all season, putting himself at the top of the Rookie of the Year debate by averaging 15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. No matter how good a player is, though, off nights are going to happen—and the point guard realizes that.

"I'm going to have bad games; it happens," Simmons said, per ESPN's Ian Begley. "Obviously, it's not the perfect timing. But we're headed home now."

The 6'10", 230-pound rookie had 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, six assists and seven rebounds in Game 1.

Brown defended his decision to ride with Simmons to reporters after the game:

As the result of Thursday night's loss, the Sixers now face an 0-2 hole, with the next two games in Philadelphia.