Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 26 - Sixers finally snag that big road win with victory in Boston

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

Bell Ringer Standings

Josh Richardson - 5
Tobias Harris - 5
Ben Simmons - 5
Joel Embiid - 4
Matisse Thybulle - 3
Furkan Korkmaz - 1
Al Horford - 1
James Ennis - 1

With Al Horford sidelined for what was supposed to be his return game to Boston, the Sixers rallied in the second half to emerge with a 115-109 victory over the Celtics. It was Philadelphia’s first road win over an over-.500 team this season, as well as Boston’s first loss at home (10-0 previously). Best of all, the Sixers don’t have another TNT-only broadcast until February. My head still hurts from all the addled commentary this week. Let’s go to the Bell Ringer candidates.

Joel Embiid: 38 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers

No, Joel didn’t “step up” in response to the criticism he received this week. He played an outstanding game, because he’s a superstar, and that’s what superstars do. Embiid went off for a season-high 38 points, shooting 12-of-21 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3, and 12-of-14 from the foul line. He had six points in the last 94 seconds of the first half, helping the Sixers head into halftime down only three points, which felt like a miracle at the time. His work passing out of double-teams was tremendous a night; as the off-ball movement continues improving, we’ll only see better work from Embiid in that area.

Then, Joel was the closer the Sixers needed, scoring a whopping 16 points in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory. One of his two 3-pointers was an enormously clutch shot with four minutes left in the game to put the Sixers ahead by eight. He also finger-snapped Daniel Theis out of existence with a block with 15 seconds remaining to preserve a four-point lead and essentially clinch the win. For all the haters and the ridiculous people who have made absurd notions about trading Joel Embiid, I expect written letters of apology on my desk in the morning.

Tobias Harris: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

Harris was more than a worthy wingman to Embiid tonight. If the fourth quarter belonged to Joel (although Harris was 3-of-3 from the field in the fourth), then the third belonged to Tobi, who scored 10 points in the frame to help the Sixers claim the lead. If Joel wasn’t in the game, the offense ran through Harris, who was able to succeed in isolation, mixing in some very tough shots with easier buckets on his way to 10-20 shooting from the field. The seven assists also represented a season-high for Harris, with five of those dimes finding their way to Embiid, as the duo worked a brilliant two-man game.

Mike Scott: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 0 turnovers

Filling in for Horford in the starting lineup, Scott channeled his inner fire emoji in shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from 3 in the first half. He finished 5-of-7 from downtown on the evening, luxuriating in the open space created from his defender worrying about having to double-team Embiid or help on a driving Harris or Josh Richardson. After going through a brutal shooting slump, Scott has now hit multiple 3s in four straight games.

Josh Richardson: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover

Richardson had clearly been rusty in his first game back from his hamstring injury against Denver. Although he still didn’t receive his full complement of minutes, Josh was back out there bringing a little something of everything to help the cause. He went 2-of-3 from downtown to help space the floor, and wasn’t afraid of the big moment, scoring seven points in the final quarter, while also coming up with two big steals early in the period. In a game that had a playoff-like intensity at times, Richardson showed why he’s a guy you want out there on both ends of the floor in such an environment.