Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 2 - Embiid-less Sixers pull out the win in Detroit

For a refresher on our Bell Ringer series, take a look back at our first post of the season.

Bell Ringer Standings

Ben Simmons - 1

Playing without Joel Embiid, the Sixers charged back from a 13-point deficit in the second half to move to 2-0 on the season with a 117-111 win over the Pistons. Choose tonight’s Bell Ringer.

Tobias Harris: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 turnovers

When Tobias Harris signed a 5-year, $180 million deal in the offseason, some naysayers wondered if he was worth that kind of contract. Sure, Tobias is a good player, but is he worthy of being the highest player on a team aspiring to win a championship? Saturday night, he looked every bit the part of that near-max player.

Harris scored 16 points in the third quarter alone, including 10 points during the Sixers’ 12-0 run to pull the team back into the game when things were slipping away. Tobi caught fire from the outside, ultimately ending the game 4-of-6 from downtown, and finished back-to-back lobs from Ben Simmons during the run. As the non-All-NBA-caliber defender in the regular starting lineup, it’s Harris’ job to make it rain on the offensive end, and he made Little Caesars Arena look like Seattle.

Most importantly, Tobi is an avid reader.

Al Horford: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

Remember when everyone said how great it would be to have Al Horford around for nights Joel Embiid wasn’t available? Well, call tonight’s win Exhibit A. Big Al was instrumental down the stretch for Philadelphia, as the team repeatedly turned to a Ben Simmons-Horford pick-and-pop on the offensive end. Horford proceeded to score 11 straight Sixers points to push Philadelphia’s lead to double digits — draining his first 3-pointer of the night, converting a three-point play off a feed from Simmons, driving past Andre Drummond for the dunk, and then sinking another 3 with two and a half minutes left. Horford also did a perfectly fine job against Drummond defensively, helping hold him to a ho-hum 13-point, 12-rebound night before the Pistons center fouled out.

Mike Scott: 17 points, 3 rebound, 1 assist

After a poor season-opening performance, Mike Scott pulled out his ATM card and cashed out Saturday night against the Pistons. Scott was the lone Sixer to have success from deep in the early going. He knocked down 3-of-4 3s the first half, while the rest of the Sixers combined to shoot 1-of-13. At the end of the night, Scott finished 5-of-6 from downtown, and also made nice defensive play to force Derrick Rose out-of-bounds and prevent a breakaway lay-up at the end of the first quarter. Impressively, he did it all playing on a sprained ankle. To cap things off, the Hive got a shoutout from Marc Zumoff on the broadcast.

Ben Simmons: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 7 steals, 5 turnovers

Simmons wasn’t quite the rim-rattler he was in the opener, but there were still moments when he flashed that lofty ceiling. Ben has a Nightcrawler-like ability to get from one end of the court to the other in an instant. He also made a handful of beautiful feeds to teammates around the basket, and his performance down the stretch in tandem with Horford was what ultimately helped seal the victory for the Sixers. Throw in a career-high seven steals and you have a productive night for the Sixers’ point guard.

Josh Richardson: 10 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers

I already like Josh Richardson’s game before he came to Philadelphia, but the more I watch him, the more I love what he brings to the table. He is so quick defensively, slithering around screens and being an overall pest to the opposition. And his motor never stops running, whether he is fighting for a loose ball, cutting offensively, or working to set up a teammate for a shot. His shot hasn’t been falling these first two games and I can’t wait for that to positively regress so we can see what a full-fledged Richardson breakout game will look like.

Shake Milton: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers

Mostly resigned to the G League last season, Shake has graduated to playing crucial fourth-quarter minutes for the big club. Milton didn’t do anything spectacular, but he exhibited the ability to space the floor (2-of-4 from 3) and create his own shot. Those two skills are in short supply on this Sixers’ roster so if he can continue to show off in those areas, the minutes will keep coming his way.