Markelle Fultz free throw saga takes bizarre twist

Maligned Philadelphia star Markelle Fultz has once again left fans in a spin as his bizarre free throw saga took a dark new twist.

Fultz confounded fans when he attempted a pump-fake free throw against the Miami Heat to unsuccessful effect earlier this week.

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Playing against the Utah Jazz, Fultz was up to his tricks again with a new routine that was equally eye-catching.

The former NBA No.1 draft stepped up to the free throw line before transferring the ball between his hands in a hot-potato-like fashion.

Curiously, the youngster made his first attempt with the unorthodox technique, before watching the second attempt bounce unsuccessfully out.

While this new technique isn’t quite as strange as the one that from the Heat match that went viral, it’s still far from conventional.

Fultz explained after the Heat match that the ball slipped out of his hand, hence the reason for the bizarre pump fake.

He jerked the ball out as if he was going to shoot, then lowered it a few inches before releasing it.

“I mean, the ball slipped out of my hand, so I had to do what I had to do,” Fultz said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

“But I’m not really worried about it. I work on my game. The ball just happened to slip. That’s what happened.”

The noticeable hitch in Fultz’s free throws over the last couple games makes that explanation seem implausible.

Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said he’s noticed the hitch on occasion.

“Every so often you’ll see it,” he said.

“Then all a sudden he’ll come back and he’ll take rise-up, fadeaway jump shots and look like a real sort of fluid type of player, real fluid type of motion in his shot.

And then you go and see other ones and you wouldn’t have any idea that there’s any problem at all.

Simmons wins battle between Aussies

Ben Simmons and Dante Exum have lived childhood dreams going head-to-head in an NBA game for the first time but it was the 76ers man who will have happier memories of the match.

Simmons had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and orchestrated key plays in a tense final minute for the 76ers while Exum, coming off the bench, electrified the Jazz with seven points and four assists on Friday in Philadelphia.

“He’s an incredible passer,” the 76ers’ new All-Star recruit Jimmy Butler, praising Simmons after the Australian delivered a pinpoint pass for a late game-winning basket, said.

“He knew I was going to be there.

“I tip my hat to him.”

The game also featured the Jazz’s other Australian, Joe Ingles, who had 14 points.

The usually accurate Ingles appeared set to deliver the game-winner when he had an open three-point attempt with 40 seconds to go and the Jazz trailing by two points, but he shot an air ball.

Simmons went from villain to hero in the final 90 seconds of the game as the teams fought for the lead.

Simmons turned the ball over with an errant pass that gave the Jazz a 107-105 lead but came back with a finger roll layup and then found Butler cutting to the basket with the pinpoint pass for the clincher.

The game also pitted Simmons against the Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell, who had 31 points although that came from 35 shot attempts including missing 10 of his 11 three point tries.

Simmons beat Mitchell for the Rookie of the Year Award last season after an acrimonious campaign where Mitchell accused Simmons of not being a rookie because the Australian sat out the previous year with a foot fracture.

Simmons and Exum, both sons of US NBL imports, grew up to together in Australia playing in backyard basketball games and on junior representative squads and often spoke about eventually competing in the NBA.

Injuries the past two years cost the good friends the opportunity to go head-to-head.

Kyrie Irving scored a season-best 43 points, including four in overtime, and added 11 assists as the Boston Celtics came back to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 123-116.

Tyreke Evans, Domantas Sabonis and Cory Joseph led a dominant bench effort as the host Indiana Pacers defeated the Miami Heat 99-91.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points off the bench, D’Angelo Russell added 23 as the visiting Brooklyn Nets defeated the Washington Wizards 115-104.

Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points, Derrick Rose had 17 as the Minnesota Timberwolves kept cruising without Butler by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 114-96.

Anthony Davis scored a season-high 43 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the New York Knicks 129-124.

With agencies