Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 29

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 9
Ben Simmons - 6
Jimmy Butler - 5
JJ Redick - 4
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1
Furkan Korkmaz - 1

With Jimmy Butler and Mike Muscala both sidelined, the Sixers played essentially a seven-man rotation. Meanwhile, Brooklyn received 70 points from its bench, led by Spencer Dinwiddie’s career-high 39 points. Here are your Sixers Bell Ringer candidates from the 127-124 loss.

Joel Embiid: 33 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Like a dog coming in out of the rain, Embiid vigorously shook off his mini-cold spell and returned to MVP-caliber production. The big man recorded his first 20-and-10 half of the season, tallying 23 points and 13 rebounds prior to halftime. He enthusiastically attacked Brooklyn defenders around the basket, finishing with equal parts brute strength and some pretty footwork. Aside from one or two gaffes, Embiid did a nice job recognizing the double teams sent his way and finding open teammates. The six turnovers hurt, but a handful of them were more correctable things like dragging his pivot foot or getting overly ambitious off the dribble. Good to see Joel bounce back, even in defeat.

Ben Simmons: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks

Ben-jammin’ was out in full force Wednesday night, throwing down a handful of dunks that would have tempted the integrity of the rim in a less structurally-reinforced era. Simmons flew around defensively to jump-start transition opportunities, and had some exquisite passes, including a bounce pass to Redick for a lay-in and a behind-the-back doozy to Korkmaz where Furkan botched the short jumper. Simmons picked his spots nicely by ducking in for some easy post-up points, and did I mention the dunks? I still don’t know how he got up high enough to throw this one down.

Furkan Korkmaz: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals

Getting the start in place of Jimmy Butler, Korkmaz looked poised to slide into that “Big 3” role with 7 points midway through the first quarter. He eventually tied his career-high from Monday night with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and a 2-for-3 mark from downtown. It wasn’t just spot-up shooting though from Korkmaz. Furkan came around off screens, shot pull-up jumpers, and even unleashed some floaters. Defensively, he was very active, diving on the floor and getting his hands in passing lanes to create turnovers. Back-to-back turnovers on attempted entry passes in the closing minutes were brutal, but it was easily the most complete effort we’ve seen from Korkmaz as a member of the Sixers.

T.J. McConnell: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists

T.J. did his best Dr. James Andrews impression Wednesday night, operating around the elbows with ease. The Sixers backup point guard repeatedly got to his spots, taking the cushion Brooklyn defenders were giving him to rise up and knock down mid-range jumpers. He ended the evening 8-for-10 from the field, finishing some drives to the hoop in addition to the jumpers, and canning his only attempt behind the arc. I also find McConnell’s continued effort to mold the next generation of a bench cheering section very endearing.