According to separate reports from Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers have suspended Ben Simmons one game for "conduct detrimental to the team."
Simmons very loudly demanded a trade from the Sixers following last season's playoff collapse highlighted by his now-infamous pass out of a dunk to Matisse Thybulle. He and his team have maintained that stance over the offseason.
Reports said that Sixers head coach Doc Rivers dismissed Simmons from practice before suspending him.
The 2021-22 NBA regular season kicks off Tuesday, but Philadelphia's season begins on Wednesday, Oct. 20, when they take on the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
We now know that the Sixers will take on the Pelicans without the services of their All-Star playmaker.
The Sixers opened as -1.5 favorites over the Zion Williamson-less Pelicans — Williamson is still working his way back from offseason foot surgery — and moved all the way to -4.5. But there's been movement in the last hour since the Simmons news.
Philadelphia has dropped from a 4.5-point favorite to a 3.5-point favorite at DraftKings, BetMGM and PointsBet.
Sixers vs. Pelicans will tip off on Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. ET.
