Sixers Bubble Bell Ringer: Sixers finish regular season in style with 134-96 win over Houston

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 - 13 (includes 1 Bubble)
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)

Mission accomplished. Although the Sixers’ starters surprisingly played into the third quarter, the team successfully got through its final regular season game without any further injuries (although Joel Embiid’s hand still looked to be bothering him). As an added bonus, the Sixers looked pretty good in the process.

Philadelphia was on fire from the perimeter in the first half, shooting 10-of-16 on 3-pointers through the first 24 minutes of action (and finishing 18-of-38 for the game). They used two big stretches to gain more and more separation from Houston, streaking to a 17-2 run in the first quarter, and a 13-0 run in the second quarter. At halftime, the Sixers led 71-47, and aside from a brief Houston surge midway through the third quarter, it was clear sailing in the eventual 134-96 victory.

Tobias Harris: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Harris stayed sharp in his final 24 minutes of the regular season, finishing 6-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from downtown. Using a size advantage isn’t just about posting up, and Tobias was able to bully his way to the basket against a smaller defender on multiple occasions. I also love his growing willingness to fire away from long-range; if the defense is going to hang back on the pick-and-roll, go ahead and shoot, Tobi!

Matisse Thybulle: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

The rookie had a couple nice cuts offensively, and knocked down one 3, but as usual, his primary impact came on the defensive end of the floor. Matisse was up to his old tricks in the stocks department, covering a ton of ground and surprising the Rockets from unexpected angles. He showed tremendous effort to backtrack and block a P.J. Tucker corner 3, and he made some terrific plays in defending James Harden. Come Monday night, the Sixers are going to need this disruptive version of Thybulle against the plethora of Boston playmakers.

Alec Burks: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers

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Shout-out to Burks and teammate Mike Scott for tying for game-best honors with a whopping plus-37 plus/minus. Alec didn’t make it four straight games with 20 or more points, but he did shoot 4-of-6 from 3 and rack up five assists without turning the ball over. In a few short weeks, Burks has gone from “Is he going to be in the playoff rotation?” to the de facto sixth man. It’s the largest upswing for any Sixer in the Bubble, and the team will need Burks to keep getting buckets.

Kyle O’Quinn: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Why O’Quinn wasn’t given 30-plus minutes tonight in order to get his previously-missed triple-double is beyond me, but he got halfway there in just 17 minutes of court time. You had to love the big man sinking a running floater with an arc steep enough to be classified as double black diamond. The passing was also on point again, as he made some very advanced reads to find Mike Scott and Norvel Pelle underneath, and a cutting Matisse Thybulle on a give-and-go. Kyle probably won’t see non-blowout minutes in the playoffs barring extreme foul trouble or another injury, but it’s good to know he’s ready if Brett has to smash the Break in Case of Emergency glass.