Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 74 - Orlando not the Happiest Place on Earth for the Sixers

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 24
Ben Simmons - 20
Jimmy Butler - 10
JJ Redick - 8
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

The Sixers went nearly 12 full minutes of game time without making a field goal, as a third quarter lead for Philadelphia gradually shifted into a 119-98 blowout victory for the Magic. Even if the Sixers are taking these teams lightly lately, we’re still not taking our job of selecting a Bell Ringer lightly.

Shake Milton: 13 points, 1 rebound, 0 turnovers

After proving to be “too good for the G League,” Shake Milton looks poised to climb the ranks at the next level. Getting regular rotation minutes with both Ben Simmons and James Ennis sidelined, Shake hit his first four field goals and finished the game 6-of-8 from the field (1-of-3 from 3). Is Brett Brown accepting late entrants into the quiet tournament?

Joel Embiid: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers

The big man was the team’s best source of offense on the evening. On multiple occasions, he bodied up Nik Vucevic or Khem Birch, backed them into the rim, and slammed the ball home with authority. He also smoothly glided to the hoop as part of some nice two-man action with Jimmy Butler, and even banked home a hook shot against Aaron Gordon.

The turnovers were very harmful, however. Embiid made a couple bad passes off drives, got called for a charge on a foray down the lane, and didn’t recognize Michael Carter-Williams coming to double along the baseline. Toss in a subpar 3-of-6 night at the foul line and it was a below average effort from the All-Star center.

Jimmy Butler: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover

With Simmons out, even more of the ball handling responsibilities fell on Butler’s shoulders, and he made some nice plays in that role. He twice found Embiid with bounce passes in the lane for easy buckets, and on two other occasions, Butler drove to the rim and kicked it out for a Shake Milton jumper. At this moment, I’m more comfortable with Jimmy as the definitive backup point, giving more minutes to wings like James Ennis and Milton rather than T.J. McConnell. Jimmy may physically force T.J. to submit the position.

Zhaire Smith: 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 0 turnovers

Ladies and gentlemen, the NBA’s career leader in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage, Zhaire Smith:

That shot actually broke the Sixers’ long field goal drought. In all seriousness, though, it was great to see Zhaire make his NBA debut. The young man has had an extremely rough year, but he looks healthy and ready to start getting his career back on track.