Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 56

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 20
Ben Simmons - 16
Jimmy Butler - 7
JJ Redick - 6
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1
Furkan Korkmaz - 1
Landry Shamet - 1
Corey Brewer - 1

The Sixers guaranteed themselves a winning record across their brutal 12-game stretch, moving to 7-4 with a matchup against Boston still pending, following a convincing 143-120 victory at home over LeBron James and the Lakers. Bell Ringer candidates are as follows:

Joel Embiid: 37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers

Is there any question Joel Embiid enjoys playing the Lakers? Another two days of recuperation did wonders for JoJo’s stomach ailment, as he shot 12-for-16 from the field, 2-for-3 from behind the arc, and 11-for-12 from the foul line in an absolutely dominating performance. Embiid hit ‘em with a Dream Shake jumper at one point, went to the finesse game for a fadeaway, a bank shot, and a sweet baby hook, and just bullied both JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler on drives for monster dunks. He vacuumed up everything on the glass, and oddly looked to push the ball up himself often (which worked when no Laker bothered to get within 10 feet of him and he took it coast-to-coast unhindered, not so much when he was called for a charge). As Embiid said after the game, this is his city.

Tobias Harris: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover

Harris kept the Sixers in lockstep with LA early in the game when neither team looked interested in playing defense, scoring 14 first quarter points. He shot 9-for-14 from the field and 3-for-5 from behind the arc, scoring on both long- and mid-range jumpers, getting to the rim, and finding open teammates when Lakers defenders tried to help onto him. In two games with the Sixers, Harris has fit in absolutely seamlessly. There’s a reason Elton Brand and the front office targeted him as a complement to the core here and were willing to overpay to get him.

JJ Redick: 21 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers

Redick wasn’t quite as hot as Friday night (how could he have been?), but still ran Lakers defenders ragged and knocked down three of his six 3-point attempts. His most impressive play came when he raced full speed down the court, set his feet in the corner, and knocked down the shot while being dragged into the photographer’s row for a 4-point play.

Jimmy Butler: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers

Jimmy didn’t need to shift into Buckets mode Sunday afternoon, quietly going 6-for-10 from the field. His marquee sequence came in the second quarter when he brutally erased a Lance Stephenson drive (which somehow didn’t go down as a block in the official scorebook???) and then brushed JaVale McGee aside like prime Bo Jackson throwing off a would-be tackler.

T.J. McConnell: 13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals, 0 turnovers

T.J. was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, operating lethally in his usual mid-range area, while also working in a pretty drive where he switched hands and hitting a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that served as a real gut punch to the Lakers. Some of that work came off the ball, which was helpful, but McConnell also played a good floor game with the ball in his hands. He also was a net-positive on the defensive end for the afternoon, opportunistically picking Lakers’ pockets on a few occasions.

Ben Simmons: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Not. A. Coward. For the first time in his NBA career, Ben Simmons attempted a legitimate 3-pointer. Will we ever see a repeat when his mentor hasn’t been blatantly daring him to do it all game? We’ll see.