Ben Simmons to 76ers Fans: 'If You're Going to Boo, Stay on That Side'

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons had a message for fans who booed the Sixers following their loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Simmons said: "If you're going to boo, stay on that side."

The 22-year-old Simmons struggled in the 111-102 home loss, as he finished with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Simmons went just 4-of-9 from the field and 1-of-5 from the free-throw line.

With the Sixers trailing in the third quarter, fans began to boo Simmons because of his continued issues at the charity stripe:

Tough Outing from Ben Simmons in Game 1

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Simmons, who has been maligned for his shooting despite being named an All-Star this season and winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award last season, shot just 60 percent from the free-throw line during the regular season and has yet to make a three-pointer in his career.

Sixers center Joel Embiid, who finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds despite nursing a knee injury, also discussed the boos and suggested that the regularity of them may have negatively impacted some of the 76ers players:

For the Nets, guards D'Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert led the way with 26 and 23 points, respectively, and Brooklyn made 24 of its 26 free-throw attempts (92.3 percent).

While the Sixers won nine more games than the Nets during the regular season and earned the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record, Brooklyn was viewed as a potentially tough matchup.

The sixth-seeded Nets split the regular-season series 2-2 with the Sixers, and they are in control through one game of their playoff series.

Brooklyn is in search of its first playoff series win since 2014, while Philly is attempting to make it past the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.