Sixers Bubble Bell Ringer: Bench loses lead late in loss to Raptors

If you need a Bell Ringer refresher, check out the first such post of the season. Here are the full season standings, which include the Bubble games:

Bell Ringer Standings

Ben Simmons - 16
Joel Embiid - 14 (includes 2 Bubbles)
Tobias Harris - 12
Josh Richardson - 9 (includes 1 Bubble)
Furkan Korkmaz - 6
Shake Milton - 4 (includes 1 Bubble)
Matisse Thybulle - 3
Al Horford - 2
James Ennis - 1
Raul Neto - 1
Glenn Robinson III - 1
Alec Burks - 1 (includes 1 Bubble)
Kyle O’Quinn - 1 (includes 1 Bubble)

Thanks to Indiana’s win earlier in the day, the Sixers knew they were locked into a 3-versus-6 first-round series against Boston before even taking the court tonight. Then, Joel Embiid suffered a hand injury in the first half; X-rays were negative, but Joel did not return to action. So it was not surprising that the benches emptied in the fourth quarter, and as the announcing team put it, the sidelines became a scene from Family Feud as both sides cheered on their teammates. Leading 111-101 with 6:27 left, Philadelphia’s reserves gradually lost the advantage, until Stanley Johnson’s shot with 6.9 seconds left gave Toronto the lead for good.

On the bright side, the Sixers’ 125-121 loss ensures they cannot pass Oklahoma City in the standings. With the Thunder winning their game tonight against Miami thanks to Mike Muscala, Oklahoma City’s pick officially belongs to the Sixers! Bell Ringer candidates await!

Tobias Harris: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images

Participating in only the first three quarters of play, Harris looked very fresh after getting yesterday off. Drawing fouls is generally an area of weakness for Tobi, so the eight free throw attempts were highly encouraging, as he repeatedly made strong drives to the basket. The team also found Harris when he had size mismatches in the post and the Sixers forward bullied those smaller Toronto defenders. Harris looked energized getting up and down the court, dishing a couple assists in transition, including a sweet lob to Matisse Thybulle for a slam, and racing back for a forceful rejection of Fred VanVleet. The Sixers would absolutely love to get this version of Tobias come playoff time against Boston.

Furkan Korkmaz: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

The man who cost Kyle O’Quinn a triple-double by shooting himself stuck to his personal mantra and let it fly against Toronto. Korkmaz had a hot hand tonight, knocking down five of his nine 3-point attempts, while also getting fouled on multiple occasions behind the arc. Furkan showed he can share as well, though, with his four assists, one of which was a very smooth drive and dish to Tobias Harris for 3. In the postseason, the Sixers are going to need Korkmaz to come in and knock down his open looks; he certainly played that part to perfection tonight.

Al Horford: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover

Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images

Another vet looking spry after his rest day was Al Horford, who played just 19 minutes, but did a darn fine job during them. Al knocked down a pair of 3s on five attempts, and backed down Pascal Siakam for a smooth, little baby hook. His passing continues to be excellent in Orlando; Joel Embiid should watch the play where Al recognized a double team coming immediately and hit a cutting Tobias Harris on loop, until he doesn’t know how else to react to such a situation.

Raul Neto: 17 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover

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Raul Neto did his level best to pull the Sixers reserves across the finish line and earn this victory tonight. He attracted about four Raptors defenders with the drive and then kicked out to Matisse Thybulle for 3 to put the Sixers up by six points with two minutes remaining. Then, with less than a minute left and Toronto having regained the lead, Raul whipped out a sick eurostep, finishing in the paint and getting the foul to put the Sixers back up by two. The guard would miss a potential game-winning 3 on the team’s next possession, but it was still a fun night from Raul, who had even shown some verve with a behind-the-back pass to Mike Scott for a 3 earlier. I’ll enjoy watching plenty of Raul in ultimately meaningless action Friday against Houston.