Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 58 - New York State of Mind

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 21
Ben Simmons - 16
Jimmy Butler - 8
JJ Redick - 6
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1
Furkan Korkmaz - 1
Landry Shamet - 1
Corey Brewer - 1

One night after a disappointing loss to Boston, the Sixers saw the Knicks chip away at a 26-point lead until it reached single digits. However, they ultimately kept New York at arms-length throughout the contest and held on for a 126-111 victory. Philadelphia enters the All-Star Break with a 37-21 record, tied with Boston for fourth place in the East (although they have already lost out on any tie-breaker with the Celtics). Here are your final Bell Ringer candidates for the ceremonial first half of the season.

Tobias Harris: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover

Regression toward the mean worked in the Sixers’ favor Wednesday night. After an 0-for-6 shooting night from behind the arc against Boston — Harris’ first time taking more than three 3-pointers without a make this season — Tobias came back with a 3-for-7 night against the Knicks. One of those treys was a dagger to extend Philadelphia’s lead back to double digits with just inside of three minutes left in the game. He also made a number of smart cuts to the basket, catching feeds from good pal Boban and others, shooting 6-for-7 from two-point range. In need of a bucket, it’s a nice option for the Sixers to have somebody who can just jab step and knock down a contested triple.

Joel Embiid: 26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 4 turnovers

JoJo certainly reaped the benefits of going against the likes of Luke Kornet rather than Al Horford. He may be $25,000 poorer following his post-game comment about the refs Tuesday, but he does have the league-lead in double-doubles after another dominant performance on the interior. Embiid did not attempt a 3-pointer against the Knicks, opting to work down low and get the young opposition to bite on pump fakes; he repeatedly earned his way to the free-throw line, shooting 12-for-14 at the stripe. Most importantly, he survived a leap over actress Regina King and the scorer’s table unscathed (maybe don’t worry so much about a loose ball when you’re up 15 on the Knicks, though, Joel).

Jimmy Butler: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

Butler speaks a lot to his concern with just making winning plays, and that it doesn’t necessarily have to be scoring for him to have a successful game. Wednesday night, he walked the walk. Jimmy only attempted six field goals, but was a disruptive defender, and played a pristine game as a playmaker with the 8:0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Even when he’s not shooting a ton, just the threat of Jimmy on the drive draws multiple defenders and frees up his teammates around the arc.

Ben Simmons: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5 turnovers

Simmons crawled back up to the Earth’s surface after being sent six feet under by a Kevin Knox dunk, and had himself an aggressive offensive game. He attacked the basket again and again, tying Embiid with a game-high 14 free throw attempts (only making eight, *shrugs*). Freed from the vise-grip of the Celtics transition defense, Simmons was able to create in the open court, hitting Tobias Harris and others filling the lanes. Although it was Galentine’s Day (shout-out Michael Schur and the Parks and Rec team), Simmons showed that bros can share the love too.

Boban Marjanovic: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers

The Sixers are slowly learning the art of ‘throw the ball up high and the gigantic human being will catch it above everyone else and lay it in without really jumping.’ Boban went 5-for-7 from the field, mostly receiving those sorts of lobs around the basket, but draining a nice hook shot from about five feet out as well. He also had some high-low feeds, including a couple to his buddy Tobias, prompting Tobi to say in the post-game interview that it was the first time Bobi ever passed him the ball.