Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 60 - Ripped apart by Portland

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
Tobias Harris - 1
Boban Marjanovic - 1

Shoddy perimeter defense and a whopping 19 Portland offensive rebounds doomed the Sixers in a 130-115 defeat. We try to find the flowers peeking through even the most desolate of rubble landscapes, though, so here are your Bell Ringer candidates:

Ben Simmons: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 turnovers

For the second straight game post-All-Star break (and with Embiid out of the lineup), Simmons was very aggressive on the offensive end. He didn’t hesitate to take the basket, finishing with dunks or lay-ins at the rim, or if met by resistance, flicking up short hooks or turnaround jumpers. Amidst a lackluster team-wide effort, Simmons was one of the few guys with any fight in him, evidenced by a couple kerfuffles with Enes Kanter and Jusuf Nurkic, the latter of which resulted in a technical for Ben.

I like Ben out there being a little extra-scowly. The 7-for-8 afternoon at the foul line was nice, as well.

Tobias Harris: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Harris had a nice offensive game, operating in the pick-and-roll with aplomb and running the floor well. He dropped 13 points in the first half when it was still a close game, and finished the contest 3-for-7 from downtown. I was struck again on some of those shots just how quick a release Harris has out there. It provides even more spacing when a defender can’t move more than a step off a player for fear that will be all he needs to get off a good look.

Mike Scott: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers

Brett Brown went to a lineup with Mike Scott at center in the second half to try to spark something, which proved to be a mistake, with Scott getting eaten alive down low by the behemoths Portland threw at him. Offensively, Scott had himself a very nice game, though, shooting 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range. That’s the floor-spacing ability the Sixers are looking for from the former Clipper. Hopefully, it carries over to more competitive games.

Jimmy Butler: 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

Butler scored on the Sixers’ first two possessions of the game, and I thought, “Terrific, a big Jimmy game with Embiid out.” Strangely though, although he had a very efficient outing, finishing 5-for-9 from the field and 5-for-5 from the foul line, Butler remained somewhat passive throughout the contest. So while this would have been the perfect “Jimmy fitting in the margins” type game if the team was at full strength, I would have liked to see him recognize the team was missing something this afternoon and go for a full takeover.