Kevin Durant Triple-Doubles as Nets Rally Past Joel Embiid, 76ers with Late Run

The Philadelphia 76ers' organizational collapse off the court may be following them on it.

The Sixers failed to make a field goal in the final 5:33, falling apart down the stretch to hand the Brooklyn Nets a 114-109 victory at the Wells Fargo Center in the first regular-season clash of Eastern Conference contenders.

Kevin Durant finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for his 13th career triple-double, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 points off the bench. But the real story was a complete failure of the Sixers to finish the job.

Philly did not trail the entire game until Aldridge hit a free throw with 48.2 seconds remaining. The Nets, who once trailed by as many as 14 points, closed on a 16-1 run.

The Sixers' home opener was overshadowed by the continued controversy surrounding Ben Simmons, who met with several members of the organization Friday. Joel Embiid addressed the Wells Fargo crowd, asking for fan support for Simmons, who he called "our brother." 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Simmons has no timetable for his season debut because he does not feel "mentally ready" to play. Simmons demanded a trade and held out of the first two weeks of training camp before reporting to the team, though he was suspended for the season opener for conduct detrimental to the team after being kicked out of practice.

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Notable Stats

Nets

F Kevin Durant: 29 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
G James Harden: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals
F LaMarcus Aldridge: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

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Sixers

C Joel Embiid: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks
F Tobias Harris: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
G Seth Curry: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Nets Have a Nic Claxton Issue

It's been only two games, but the third-year big man has not looked capable of handling himself in a heavy-minute role. Claxton looked lost on both ends of the floor Friday night, posting a game-worst minus-19 in 17 minutes of work.

Embiid seemed to toy with him in the post at points, and the Sixers were able to abuse him in pick-and-roll attacks. Claxton was also just 1-of-4 from the field and a liability on the offensive end. 

It was telling and also concerning that head coach Steve Nash went with LaMarcus Aldridge down the stretch. Aldridge was surprisingly sensational in his reserve role, particularly in the fourth quarter, but the Nets can't count on a 36-year-old coming off a health scare (heart). It's worth noting that Aldridge was showing his age last season in San Antonio and had only one point in the Nets' season opener.

Brooklyn was counting on significant development from Claxton to give the team some level of interior presence. It doesn't look to be there.

Beyond Kyrie Irving's continued absence, the Nets' lack of frontcourt depth is an issue to watch the remainder of the season.

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Just Trade Him Already

The Sixers' relationship with Simmons has run the gamut of emotions in the last few days alone. Embiid went from telling reporters "I don't care about that man" earlier this week to publicly calling him a "brother" in front of the crowd tonight.

Tobias Harris also called Simmons a "brother" in a social media post. At least among members of the team, there's a real attempt at trying to repair the situation to the point Simmons can get back on the floor.

It's just difficult to see a scenario where this actually works.

The previous team leadership coddled Simmons to the point he seemingly stopped progressing as a player. Current leadership shopped him in a trade, and then he was publicly criticized by head coach Doc Rivers following a poor playoff performance and with his confidence low.

While Embiid has said he loves playing with Simmons, rumors about their lack of chemistry on and off the court persist.

If Simmons returns, it's hard to believe it'll be in the best interest of everyone in Philadelphia.