Simmons sounds off; Ja: Baited him into 6th foul

MEMPHIS -- Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons called respective of the whistles helium received "bulls---" pursuing a 134-124 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies connected Monday night, noting that "refs marque mistakes, too."

While Simmons, who fouled retired for the 2nd clip successful 3 regular-season games, was frustrated with galore calls, the 1 that drew astir of his ire was his sixth foul, called by authoritative J.T. Orr with 3:52 near successful regulation. Grizzlies defender Ja Morant dilatory fto the shot rotation up the level and past collected it and stood determination waiting for Simmons to marque a move. Once Simmons came person to Morant -- who was lasting a small implicit the half-court enactment -- and made contact, Orr blew the whistle that ended Simmons' night. Both Simmons and Nets manager Steve Nash were successful disbelief.

"I conscionable saw the play," Simmons said aft the game. "It wasn't a foul. [Orr] called it a foul, made a mistake, it is what it is ... it's truly frustrating ... it's not a foul, but it was bulls---. It's frustrating due to the fact that it's precocious game, 4th quarter, it's a physical, adjacent game. It's the NBA. It's not college, it's not precocious school. Some radical are going to get hit, immoderate radical bleed, it's basketball."

Simmons, who besides received a method foul successful the archetypal quarter, said helium received nary mentation from the officials.

"There was nary mentation for that call," Simmons said. "[Orr] didn't person thing to say. Same arsenic the method foul. He said due to the fact that Ja had a tech helium had to springiness maine a tech due to the fact that I said something. It wasn't malicious, it wasn't astatine the referee, I thought it was conscionable a portion of basketball. People person emotions. I didn't cuss astatine him, I didn't telephone him anything. I conscionable said it was a bulls--- call, which it was, and f--- fto maine get retired of here. I conscionable don't privation to get fined."

Morant, for his part, explained to reporters however helium baited Simmons into fouling out. He learned from a akin play that Simmons pulled respective years ago.

"If ya'll privation to spell excavation up a play, I deliberation my rookie twelvemonth I was successful Philly -- and the aforesaid concern happened similar that vs. Ben successful the archetypal half," Morant said. "I went to look astatine Coach to get the play and (Simmons) ran done the ball, got the bargain and went to dunk ... I knew it astatine that moment. Once I seen him and I was rolling the shot and I was astatine fractional [court], I looked astatine Coach and I spot him effort to similar 'Oh yeah.' So I knew I had him. He was going to property up and I was conscionable going to unit the ref to marque the call."

Simmons said helium was a small "confused" by the mode the officials called the crippled fixed the carnal benignant of play the Grizzlies are known for.

"One mode you're expecting a squad to play carnal and past you travel retired connected defence and play the aforesaid way, carnal -- it goes 1 mode successful presumption of fouls, but that's basketball," Simmons said. "You got to set and I don't deliberation we adjusted well."

Simmons finished the nighttime with 7 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, a bargain and 5 turnovers successful 28 minutes. It was a measurement backmost for the 26-year-old who is inactive trying to find his bushed aft missing astir a twelvemonth and a half.

"I deliberation rust," Nash said of what helium feels is hampering Simmons astir close now. "I conscionable don't deliberation he's played a batch of basketball. So he's conscionable trying to get his crippled back, his confidence, and the familiarity. It's been 18 months fundamentally -- truthful that's a agelong play of inactivity. For anyone that's played the game, you cognize that's precise difficult."

Nash said that portion helium feels determination volition beryllium "painful moments" for Simmons, helium remains assured that the erstwhile All-Star volition find his way. Nash reiterated what helium has said respective times precocious successful that helium wants Simmons to beryllium much assertive offensively, which helium believes volition assistance his wide game.

Nets prima Kevin Durant said helium didn't judge that past foul should person been called connected Simmons, either, but helium knows that calls usually adjacent retired implicit the people of a game.

"I didn't deliberation that 1 was a foul but it is what it is," Durant said. "Ben's a seasoned successful this league truthful helium trusts himself, we spot him, and it's conscionable astir bouncing backmost adjacent game."

Nets defender Kyrie Irving said the Nets conscionable person to spot successful Simmons' professionalism and assistance him flooded the intelligence hurdle of foul trouble. Simmons besides fouled of a preseason crippled earlier this period successful conscionable 13 minutes.

"The narration that we've developed is conscionable holding each different to that precocious modular and knowing that we're susceptible of doing immoderate peculiar things nighttime to night, but a batch of it is mental," Irving said. "A batch of it is pushing done conscionable what you consciousness you're susceptible of doing, particularly erstwhile you're coming disconnected an injury."