Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 39

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 13
Ben Simmons - 11
Jimmy Butler - 5
JJ Redick - 5
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1
Furkan Korkmaz - 1

Despite having played the night before in Los Angeles, and even without starters Jimmy Butler and Wilson Chandler, the Sixers crushed the Suns in the first half, and survived a late scare, to conclude their road trip with a 132-127 victory. Here are the evening’s top Bell Ringer candidates:

Joel Embiid: 42 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

Remember when Joel Embiid wasn’t able to play at all? Then, remember when he couldn’t play back-to-backs? Now, he’s dropping 30 points and 14 rebounds in the first half on the second night of a back-to-back. The man is evolving faster than a Caterpie. Whether he was matched up against renowned artist DeAndre Ayton, or former teammate Richaun Holmes, Embiid absolutely annihilated the competition, drawing fouls, sinking stepback jumpers, and repeatedly slamming it home.

Embiid’s 19 free throw attempts were his main avenue for efficient points, but oh, the slams. At a certain point in the first half, any possession that didn’t end with Embiid Mechagodzilla-ing his way down the lane for a dunk felt like a small victory for the Suns. It’s fortunate that Congress recently passed the First Step Act, because this euro-step and dunk right in Holmes’ face is straight-up criminal.

Ben Simmons: 29 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block

Embiid wasn’t the only Sixers star having his way around the rim. Simmons used his massive size advantage against the likes of De’Anthony Melton and Devin Booker to post up for easy buckets and consistent trips to the charity stripe. He and Embiid had a nice high-low game working between the two of them, often swapping the roles back and forth (with no sign of lingering animosity between the pair from last night’s rebound collision). The 23 free throw attempts were the second-most in a game for Simmons in his career, only behind the 15-for-29 hack-a-Ben night against Washington last season.

JJ Redick: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

The Sixers needed a little variety in their low-post heavy diet, and Redick provided it. He shot a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range in the first quarter. Then, a few minutes into the third quarter, Redick had a quick personal 6-point run, getting a steal and (rare for the Sixers) pull-up transition 3 to stretch the lead to 25 points. That same minute, he hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game to make the advantage 28 points (if only the team didn’t have to scare us from there).

Furkan Korkmaz: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

The Suns had cut the Sixers’ lead to just 6 points with three minutes and change remaining when Korkmaz hit a HUGE step-back three. Two possessions later, he drove and slid a bounce pass underneath to Embiid for an easy basket to get things back to double digits. It’s ironic that on a night Butler had to sit out, it was his replacement in the starting lineup that saved the Sixers from abject disaster (at least I think it’s ironic, Alanis Morissette forever confused me on the issue).