For a refresher on what constitutes a Bell Ringer, please reference the initial post.
Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Joel Embiid - 14
Ben Simmons - 11
Jimmy Butler - 5
JJ Redick - 5
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1
Furkan Korkmaz - 1
The Sixers returned home after a 5-game road trip, building themselves a large enough lead to hold on for a 106-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Here are your Bell Ringer candidates:
Ben Simmons: 20 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists
This game may be the one we look back upon when the tide turned on Ben Simmons’ great jump shot odyssey. In the post-game press conference, Brett Brown mentioned how he wants Ben to try and attempt one jump shot per quarter, and progress out to corner 3-pointers. Against the Mavericks, Simmons attempted at least four jumpers, including a turnaround out of a post-up on the game’s opening possession. I’m not thrilled about the idea of him taking 18-footers, like some folks seem to want. But those turnarounds seem like a great evolution to his game, and, of course, a potential corner 3 in Ben’s arsenal will make the spacing exponentially better for the offense as a whole. Good steps here.
Aside from the whole shooting thing, Ben was terrific finding his teammates Saturday night. His Sixers teammates seemed to do a better job than usual cutting off-ball in the half court. Simmons was also active on the glass, securing a game-high 4 offensive rebounds.
Ben Simmons with a nice short jumper from the post to kick off the Sixers' scoring pic.twitter.com/w84HRJmbWS
— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) January 6, 2019
Joel Embiid: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
It was a relatively quiet night for the big man, which speaks to his general brilliance when he still goes off for 25, 12, and 5. He hit one 3-pointer from the top of the key on three attempts, but did the bulk of his damage by making his usual march to the foul line, where he shot 10-for-11 on the evening. Embiid helped hold DeAndre Jordan to just 8 rebounds, well below his average of over 14 boards on the season. He also showed flashes of things a man his size doesn’t typically do, like smothering Luka Doncic out to 3-point line, or starting a fast break with a pretty pass.
As Marc Zumoff noted, Joel Embiid with the fantastic off-hand dish to Furkan Korkmaz en route to a transition dunk. pic.twitter.com/rfr8oRp3tG
— Jake Hyman (@RealJakeHyman) January 6, 2019
JJ Redick: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Redick was the team’s leading scorer in the first half, scoring 16 points prior to halftime. It wasn’t a “JJ just got hot from 3” night, however, as the veteran guard only shot 2-for-6 from downtown. Instead, he was finishing on cuts to the hoop, making an acrobatic up-and-under lay-up, working the absolutely money 2-5 pick-and-roll with Joel Embiid, and doing any number of things beyond what his marksman shooter reputation would dictate.
Notice how DeAndre Jordan has to step up from respecting JJ Redick's shooting gravity, which leaves a rolling Joel Embiid open for the slam. (@NBCSPhilly) pic.twitter.com/JErDNkp6Dp
— Jake Hyman (@RealJakeHyman) January 6, 2019
Jonah Bolden: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
In his second consecutive start, Bolden just missed his first career double-double, but don’t let the lack of a stray rebound downplay what a helpful, energetic force he was throughout the game. Jonah crashed the glass hard (3 offensive rebounds), get up and down the floor quickly for rim runs in transition, and played agile, switching defense. He still fouls too much and doesn’t offer a well-rounded offensive game, but the outline of a useful rotation player is becoming clearer and clearer with Bolden.
Oh fancy, T.J.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 6, 2019
He finds Bolden under the basket with a nice pass to give Jonah 10 on the board. pic.twitter.com/OLDuPCYbXN
Poll
Who is your Bell Ringer for the win over Dallas?
This poll is closed
-
80%
Ben Simmons
-
4%
Joel Embiid
-
1%
JJ Redick
-
13%
Jonah Bolden