For a refresher on our Bell Ringer series, take a look back at our first post of the season.
Bell Ringer Standings
Ben Simmons - 14
Tobias Harris - 9
Joel Embiid - 8
Josh Richardson - 8
Matisse Thybulle - 3
Furkan Korkmaz - 3
Al Horford - 1
James Ennis - 1
Raul Neto - 1
Beginning a four-game road trip with games against three top Eastern Conference playoff contenders, the Sixers dropped the contest against the last-place Atlanta Hawks, losing 127-117. Philadelphia had no answer for All-Star starter Trae Young, who had 14 points and 10 assists by the end of the first quarter. He did not let up from there, finishing with 39 points and 18 assists. The Sixers will look to do better Saturday night in Boston, but first, let’s choose a Bell Ringer.
Ben Simmons: 31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 turnovers
Named as an All-Star reserve prior to the game, Simmons wasted no time showing that selection was warranted, racking up 15 points in the first quarter, including three huge dunks. We later saw the benefit of Ben playing alongside a point guard when he and Raul Neto hooked up for an alley-oop. Then, unlike many of his late disappearing acts this season, Simmons stepped up big in the fourth quarter to try and help the Sixers pull off the comeback. He scored nine points in the final frame, knocking down 5-of-5 shots from the foul line, part of an excellent 11-of-13 night there. Add in the four steals, three of which were outstanding reads he made against Trae Young, and you certainly had an All-Star-caliber night from Ben.
Ben Simmons is a TWO-TIME ALL-STAR! ⭐️ #PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/dJHrnlpRe3
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) January 31, 2020
Shake Milton: 27 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover
Shake had easily his best game at the NBA level, recording career-highs of 27 points and six assists. Milton particularly went off in the second quarter, tallying 14 points in the period, including three 3s and 11 points in the final 1:16 of the half. Milton ended the night 5-of-9 from downtown, hitting many of them from what must qualify as the Sixers’ 4-point line at the practice facility. All of his assists came off drive-and-dishes from the lane, with easy dunks for Simmons and Embiid included in the bunch. Shake also used those drives to get to the foul line, where he went 8-of-10. A Sixer who can both space the floor and create open looks for others? Yes, please.
The Sixers need more quick-trigger shooting. Good stuff from Shake Milton pic.twitter.com/dLdWoy37ZY
— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) January 31, 2020
Tobias Harris: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers
Harris wasn’t connecting on his shots from behind the arc tonight, but he was doing a terrific job in the mid-range, changing speeds and hesitating just enough to create space to rise up and knock down those jumpers. He took over in the third quarter to help the Sixers remain within striking distance, recording nine points and five rebounds in the period. Like many of the Sixers on this list, Tobi also did a terrific job getting free points at the charity stripe, where he shot 9-of-10.
Shake with the swipe, Harris with the finish.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 31, 2020
Sixers trailing by 10, though. pic.twitter.com/GEygb1wGuV
Joel Embiid: 21 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers
You only need to look at the eight combined offensive rebounds for John Collins and Damian Jones to recognize Embiid has had more impactful games on the defensive end, but he was still a positive force on the court. Joel had the outside shot working, hitting 3-of-6 from downtown. Although, strangely, that success didn’t carry over to the foul line, where he struggled with a 2-of-7 line for the night. I really enjoyed the sweeping step-through hook shot Embiid had in the first quarter; it was a nice little play design with the screen in a spot where Joel often iso’s, and I would love to see more plays like this again in the near future.
Mike Scott: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 0 turnovers
Scott had his best game in some time, tallying 7 first-quarter points and starting 5-of-5 from the field before a couple desperation shots at the end of the game marred his final line. It wasn’t just the usual spot-up 3s from Mike either; he hit a mid-range fadeaway, and scored around the basket off a drive, a cut, and a putback slam. While Scott wasn’t great defensively overall, it made a couple helpful plays, like the block of Cam Reddish early on and forcing a Trae Young turnover in the final minute.
Clean up on aisle 1.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 31, 2020
https://t.co/0Z17zPrHXt | @FOXBet pic.twitter.com/pFv6skdxxU
Poll
Who is the Bell Ringer for the loss in Atlanta?
This poll is closed
-
43%
Ben Simmons
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53%
Shake Milton
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0%
Tobias Harris
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1%
Joel Embiid
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1%
Mike Scott