Sports
Ben Simmons says he's healthy and ready to play point guard for Clippers
Ben Simmons has yet to take the court for the Clippers, but after his first full practice with the team, he looks fresh and rejuvenated. Both sides are counting on a change of scenery to help him rediscover his All-Star form.
Simmons is coming off a turbulent 2½ seasons with the Brooklyn Nets marked by injuries, unfulfilled expectations and criticisms. Now, he’s looking to move past those struggles and contribute to a Clippers team that holds the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference just days before the All-Star break.
“I just want to compete, regardless of all the bulls— said online,” Simmons said. “I’m here to do that, and playing alongside some of these great players… Everyone’s just going to push each other to be better and expect greatness.”
The Clippers (29-23) are rolling the dice on the oft-maligned Simmons, who sees the move as a comfortable fit. He joins a veteran squad led by Kawhi Leonard, Norman Powell, and James Harden — whom he was traded for at the 2022 deadline, sending him to Brooklyn and Harden to Philadelphia.
Making the decision to come here, I felt wanted,” Simmons said. “That’s something you want to feel when you go to work.”
Simmons has welcomed the move to L.A., which he anticipated because of his longtime relationship with Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. The two nearly connected in Philadelphia when Lue was a previous coaching candidate, and their relationship goes even further back to when Simmons was with Klutch Sports, which represents Lue.
Simmons had several suitors after being released by the Nets and said conversations with Lue and the franchise’s honesty about his role ultimately attracted him to L.A.
“Everyone was just very transparent,” Simmons said. “They know what I’m capable of and what they expect from me. I’m willing to give that and ready to go.”
Simmons’ immediate role is to come off the bench as the point guard for the second unit. His main focus will be pushing the ball and providing a defensive presence, bolstering one of the NBA’s top two defenses and creating tough matchups as the team enters the second half.
“I spoke to a few different teams, that was the first thing they [the Clippers] said to me, ‘We see point guard,’” Simmons said. “That’s my position… I want to get my guys going, get them easy buckets, control the pace. And then, on the defensive end, I want to be a dog.”
Simmons has played in 33 of the Nets’ 52 games, starting 24. He’s averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists over 25.4 minutes per game.
Lue acknowledges it will take time to figure out where Simmons fits in the scheme, saying, “You have a point guard who can play both center and point, so it depends on which unit he’s with.” There is an expectation that there will be a learning curve as Simmons integrates into the rotation and gets a feel for how the Clippers want the second unit to play.
Clippers guard Ben Simmons lofts a left-handed shot during practice on Tuesday at Intuit Dome.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
He is one of several newly acquired players, joining others added around the trade deadline. Lue believes the organization excels at helping players adjust to a new setting, offering them a much-needed reset.
“Giving someone a fresh start,” Lue said of the players who come to the organization. “It’s always good to get a fresh start and start over. Not worry about the past and what you’ve done in the past. Get to a new place where you know you’re welcome.”
At 28, a more experienced Simmons says he doesn’t let outside chatter — especially on social media — affect his mentality. He’s completely avoiding it, instead focusing on his journey toward becoming true to himself.
“I really don’t look at it,” Simmons said of social media. “Once you’re comfortable knowing who you are as a person, it’s irrelevant — all of that, the extra noise. I try to stay away from it.”
Simmons’ health has been a concern for much of his career and remains so, primarily because of lingering nerve damage in his lower back. A combination of back, calf and knee soreness this season has forced him to miss almost 20 games, a pattern that has become all too familiar.
Simmons says he isn’t dealing with any limitations and is ready to play, but questions remain about when he will make his Clippers debut.
The decision will come tomorrow after he meets with the training staff, who will have the final say on whether he plays at home Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies or waits until Thursday’s game against the Jazz in Utah. If he suits up Wednesday, he might sit out against Utah because he has yet to be cleared for back-to-backs.
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.
Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.
The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.
Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.
Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.
Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.
The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.
A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.
Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.
In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.
Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.
The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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