Seth Curry Met Ben Simmons' Pregame Challenge vs. Wizards

The Philadelphia 76ers didn't panic after the Game 4 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday. With a 3-1 cushion in the series, the Sixers knew if they could just beat the Wizards at home on Wednesday night, they were on their way to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

It wasn't going to be easy for the Sixers, though. With the four-time All-Star center Joel Embiid sidelined due to a small meniscus tear, Philly's other starters had to step up their game and fill the void of the unstoppable superstar.

When Embiid goes down, everybody typically looks to Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris to step up and take over the team. However, Simmons wanted to continue to see 'Big Three' production, so he urged Seth Curry to have himself a career night.

“Typically, we play [Call of Duty] Warzone if we’re playing at home,” Ben Simmons said following Wednesday night's win. “We’ll play in the morning, after shootaround. I told him, I need 30 out of you, and we’re gonna get this dub.”

Hours later, Curry got off to a solid start in his quest for 30 points during Game 5. In the first quarter, the veteran sharpshooter hit four of his six shots for nine points. In the second quarter, he collected another five points, totaling for 14 points in 15 minutes through the first half of action.

Curry's first-half performance was decent, but his third-quarter explosion is what helped the Sixers go over the top and get on the fast track to the second round of the playoffs. In just eight minutes, Curry hit on four of his five field-goal attempts, adding 12 points to his total for the night in the third quarter.

Then, during his final six minutes on the floor during the fourth quarter, the veteran guard collected four more points, meeting Simmons' pregame demand of 30 points. Not only did Curry collect a playoff career-high point total on Wednesday, but he did it efficiently as he knocked down 10 of his 17 shots and hit on all seven of his free throws.

Curry wasn't the only one to complete the Call of Duty pregame challenge. While urging Curry to drop 30, Ben Simmons apparently told the veteran guard that he had set a goal of his own for Game 5 as well.

"We were playing before our pregame nap earlier today," Curry explained. "[Ben’s] telling me, 'I need 30 from you, and I’m gonna get a triple-double so we can close it out.' We were able to go out and get it done.”

Curry got his 30, and Ben Simmons got his triple-double. In 39 minutes on the floor, Simmons collected 19 points, 11 assists, and 10 total rebounds en route to a 129-112 victory over the Wizards. Now, the Sixers will advance to the next round, where they will have to establish new challenges for themselves personally and as a team.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.