Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 16

For a refresher on what constitutes a Bell Ringer, please reference the initial post.

Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Joel Embiid - 7
Ben Simmons - 3
JJ Redick - 2
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1.

New star in red, white, and blue. Same old frustrating collapse on the road for the Sixers. Philadelphia blew a 16-point fourth quarter lead, and Terrence Ross’s late three sent the Sixers to the locker room as losers in Jimmy Butler’s Sixers debut. Bell Ringer candidates are as follows:

Joel Embiid: 19 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 blocks

Embiid’s first career triple-double came in strange fashion, as the official scorer added his 10th assist well after the fact and no one was quite sure initially when it happened. The passing was certainly exemplary throughout the contest, and Embiid had the outside shot working, knocking down three triples early in the first quarter and finishing 4-7 from behind the arc. However, it definitely wasn’t JoJo’s best offensive night. He did not have the mid-range game working at all, and ended the night 6-20 from the field, including a brutal denial on a dunk attempt courtesy of Jonathan Isaac. Yet, you couldn’t fault the effort, particularly evident on a play where Embiid turned it over, but raced down court for a chasedown block.

JJ Redick: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists

Redick’s three-point shooting is more vital now than ever with Robert Covington and Dario Saric in Minnesota. In a revenge game against the Magic franchise that drafted him, Redick was on fire all night, matching Embiid with a 4-7 line from three. The 6 assists tied a season-high, and JJ had a couple nice finishes himself off the dribble. Redick even hit the game-tying three in the closing seconds; the only problem was he just barely stepped out-of-bounds prior to getting the shot off.

Jimmy Butler: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Jimmy eased his way into the flow of the game in his Sixers debut, but clearly showed what he brings to the table for Philadelphia. The defense was solid, bodying up guys and getting a few pokes in on the ball. Offensively, he flashed his terrific cutting ability, receiving a couple early baskets on such plays, including a dunk on a nice feed from Redick. The creation ability is the unique skill he brings to this Sixers roster, however. Butler hit a jumper from the left elbow off the dribble in the first half, and later split multiple defenders himself for a dunk. Those types of plays are what the Sixers need when the usual flow of the offense doesn’t yield a good shot.

Wilson Chandler: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Chandler entered the starting lineup and ramped his minutes up to 23 on the game. He knocked down a pair of threes, provided solid defense in Brett Brown’s switching scheme, and overall just played competent, professional basketball. So far, Chandler looks like the perfect jack-of-all-trades glue guy in the new-look starting unit.

Markelle Fultz: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

In the wake of the Butler trade, Fultz was moved to the bench and didn’t appear happy about the whole situation on social media. Any discontent did not show on the court, however, as Fultz played one of his better games of the season. Charged with leading the second unit, Markelle was free to attack the basket and had a couple really nice finishes at the rim. He worked hard for a pair of offensive rebounds and continued to show his improved defense. Fultz not being written off as a lost cause following Butler’s arrival would be a terrific turn of events. Oh yeah, and he hit a normal jump shot!