Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 71 - Sixers prevail in yet another nail-biter over the Hornets

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 23
Ben Simmons - 19
Jimmy Butler - 10
JJ Redick - 7
Tobias Harris - 3
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1
Furkan Korkmaz - 1
Landry Shamet - 1
Corey Brewer - 1
Boban Marjanovic - 1
Mike Scott - 1

For the 45th time this season, Philadelphia played the Hornets in a game that came down to the wire. After surviving an 11-0 Charlotte run in the third quarter, the Sixers made it a back-and-forth affair during the closing minutes. With Philly up two points with two seconds left, Jeremy Lamb’s driving layup rimmed out, securing the season sweep for the Sixers. Here are your Bell Ringer candidates:

JJ Redick: 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 turnover

Usually, a successful night for Redick means he’s knocking down shots, and he certainly did that Tuesday night against the Hornets. Despite missing his usual DHO partner in Joel Embiid, Redick hit five 3s before halftime, part of a season-high 21 first-half points. By the end of the night, Redick had drained seven triples, with his final 3 putting the Sixers back in front with five minutes left in the game.

But back in the state where he played his college ball, Redick did so much more than hit shots. He recorded his first career double-double, securing a career-high 10 rebounds; Redick’s hustle for an offensive rebound off his own miss led to Kemba Walker picking up a pivotal third personal foul in the first quarter. He also dished out a season-high eight assists, and made a key defensive play by drawing a charge on Frank Kaminsky with four minutes left in the contest. It was an impressive all-around contribution for a player who too often gets pegged as one-dimensional.

Ben Simmons: 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover

You’d be hard-pressed to find fault in an aspect of Ben Simmons’ game tonight. He went a near-perfect 11-of-12 from the field, seemingly forcing his way down the lane for a ferocious dunk at will. His lone miss came when he split multiple defenders and tried to dunk on Bismack Biyombo, only for the Hornets big man to smack him on the arm, uncalled. On more than one occasion, Simmons faked a DHO and seeing the seas parted, charged towards the basket unimpeded.

On one of the few occasions he didn’t throw down a thunderclap, Simmons dropped home an elegant finger-roll after a behind-the-back move. Add in a nearly flawless floor game comprised of just a single turnover and it was an altogether stellar outing for the 6-foot-10 point guard.

Jimmy Butler: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers

The move by Brett Brown to split up Butler and Ben Simmons in the substitution rotation has done wonders for Jimmy, as he looks much more aggressive in getting to assume ball-handling responsibilities when Ben sits. He wormed his way to the basket for a number of his money mid-range jumpers and finishes around the hoop. The nine assists were a season-high, and included a great read of the retreating defense to feed it back to James Ennis for a flush in transition. To cap off his night, Butler once again flashed late-game heroics, drained an enormous 3 on a fairly broken possession to unbreak a tie with 90 seconds left.

James Ennis III: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block

James Ennis scored 14 points, which not coincidentally, was the amount of points scored by the entire Sixers bench. While the rest of Philadelphia’s reserves struggled mightily, Ennis had himself another strong performance off the pine. Uncharacteristically, he had a couple very creative scoop shots on drives to the basket. Ennis then hit a pair of huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, one to tie the game at 100 midway through the frame, and another to make it a two-possession game with 18 seconds left. He received a tough whistle on Jeremy Lamb’s 3-point attempt seconds later, but on the whole, terrific showing from Ennis.

Tobias Harris: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers

I was honestly surprised when I looked late in the game and saw Harris was approaching a 20-10 game. Tuesday night was the classic, quiet, efficient outing from the recently acquired Sixers star. He attacked mismatches when they presented themselves and rose up for open looks when they were there, but never forced the action. By the end, the production was there and Harris had played a team-high 39 minutes with a team-best plus-13 plus/minus. He also secured a big offensive rebound with 30 seconds left as a prelude to Ennis’ big 3. We’ll give him a pass on splitting those late free throws, as all’s well that ends well.