Fans have a field day with Ben Simmons’ return to the Wells Fargo Center

It’s been a game nine months in the making, with the Brooklyn Nets and former Sixer Ben Simmons playing at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday. Sixers fans have long craved the return of their former No. 1 pick, preparing their lungs for a night of booing. While the matchup didn’t look like what was originally expected, with Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey all sidelined with injuries, the Sixers still managed to pull out a 115-106 victory over their former teammate.

While some fans showed up as clown versions of him, Simmons did have some admirers courtside during warmups, where he signed autographs and took selfies.

Once the game uniforms came on, the boos began to rain down, beginning at intros and continuing whenever Simmons touched the ball. It’s hard to distinguish how loud the boos were through video and the television, but the Sixers fans sure still made themselves heard.

Despite that, Simmons seemed to be confident to start, even making a pair of free throws and tossing a classic MJ shrug after doing so.

However, the real triumph – nay, the pinnacle, the crown jewel of the game - was earning free nuggets on Ben Simmons when he missed a pair of free throws in the third, as part of the Sixers Bricken for Chicken promotion. It feels like vindication for Sixers fans everywhere.

Overall, it was not quite the Embiid-Simmons showdown game Sixers fans were expecting, but when have the Sixers ever given fans what they expect?