Sixers mocked by 'Where's Ben Simmons?' chant

Ben Simmons lack during his team's opening crippled didn't spell unnoticed, with the location fans taking the accidental to sledge the visiting 76ers astir the concern regarding their prima player.

Just earlier fractional time, audible 'Where's Ben Simmons?' chants rang astir the brilliantly named Smoothie King Center, arsenic the Sixers clung to a lead.

Despite the Aussie's absence, Philadelphia are presently up by 7 with a mates of minutes near successful the 3rd quarter.

An earlier contender for the play of the time arsenic Karl-Anthony Towns has delivered a monolithic dunk successful Minnesota's opener against the Houston Rockets.

Towns picked up the shot underneath his ain handbasket earlier dribbling up tribunal and launching himself from conscionable successful beforehand of the free-throw line.

The 25-year-old was the fig 1 prime successful the 2015 draught and has go 1 of the champion bigs successful the league.

One of the coolest moments of the time came astatine a packed retired Scotiabank Arena successful Toronto, wherever the Raptors played their archetypal crippled astatine location successful astir 2 years.

Thanks to planetary question restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto played their location games past play successful Tampa, Florida.

"It looks precise bully successful here," defender Fred van Vleet said connected the microphone earlier the game, arsenic rapper Drake cheered from courtside.

"It's bully to beryllium home, we conscionable privation to convey you, connected behalf of my teammates and the Raptors organisation ... let's get it started disconnected the close way."

Good greeting and invited to our unrecorded sum of 'Not opening nighttime but benignant of opening night' for the NBA season.

With conscionable the 2 games arsenic a pallet cleanser yesterday, there's 22 teams opening their 2021-21 campaigns tonight, including an NBA debut for lottery prime Josh Giddey connected his caller team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Philadelphia 76ers question to New Orleans to play the Pelicans, of course, Ben Simmons won't beryllium there.

The Celtics play the Knights, the pre-season stand-out Chicago Bulls play the Detroit Pistons, and plentifulness more. How good.