Sixers Bell Ringer: Epic fourth-quarter comeback gives Sixers shocking win over Indiana

Note: No traditional recap post for this game. Let the comments fly.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 9
Tobias Harris - 5
Shake Milton - 3
Ben Simmons - 1
Tyrese Maxey - 1
Dakota Mathias - 1

The Sixers were seeking their first win of the season without Joel Embiid, but after they got off to an immediate 8-0 lead, Indiana pulled away and looked destined to send Philadelphia to 0-5 without the big man in the lineup. Then, Doc Rivers decided to go with what he dubbed the “John Cheney matchup zone,” and it completely turned the game around. The Sixers steamed forward with a 21-2 run in the fourth quarter, flipping a 16-point deficit into a 3-point lead in the final minutes of the game. It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback win for the team since 2008, and the fact that it came with Joel made it all the more shocking. To the Bell Ringer candidates!

Ben Simmons: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers

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Ben Simmons, two-way threat, showed up in a big way to help propel the Sixers to their first Embiid-less victory. Ben was ultra-aggressive, attacking the rim for any number of finger rolls, reverse lay-ins, and dunks, whether league blocks leader Myles Turner was lurking nearby or not. As usual, Simmons set his teammate up for a bevy of wide-open 3s. He was also incredibly disruptive, recording six stocks, including a terrific block at the rim of a Doug McDermott drive. Then, in the fourth quarter, Doc stuck Simmons alongside Matisse at the top of the zone, and it was like the dream of holding hands around the world was fulfilled simply by the length of those two defensive dynamos.

Tobias Harris: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 3 turnovers

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With Embiid out, another Sixers All-Star hopeful proved more than capable of picking up the offensive slack. Tobias finished 10-of-19 from the field, and 5-of-5 from the foul line, stepping up when the team needed him most in the fourth quarter. Harris compiled 10 points in the final period, surging to almost single-handedly get the Sixers back into single digits. One or two fewer Tobias buckets and things could have easily tipped towards the Pacers coasting to victory. We’re at the point where Tobi being iso’d on the baseline or wing feels like an easy two points. What a difference a year makes.

Matisse Thybulle: 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

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Throwing Matisse at the top of a zone defense was like spreading chum nearby a school of sharks. The second-year wing channeled his Washington days, and got his hands on nearly every Indiana pass, completely disrupting whatever sets the Pacers were trying to get into. All six of his stocks came in the fourth quarter, and he covered so much ground, doing everything from blocking TJ McConnell from behind at the rim to rushing out to get a piece of a Malcolm Brogdon 3. He even chipped in offensively, converting the rare drive for a three-point play to give the Sixers a two-possession advantage with 90 seconds left.

Furkan Korkmaz: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover

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Who needs JJ Redick as a sharpshooter off the bench when you already have Korkmaz? Furkan exploded for 11 points in the fourth quarter alone, as Doc Rivers rolled with him for all 12 minutes. Korkmaz hit the pull-up jumper on the right wing to finally put the Sixers back in front, and looked to have injured his left hand in the process. Nevertheless, Furkan went from cradling his hand to demanding the ball on the very next possession, coming off a Ben Simmons DHO to knock down yet another jumper and extend the lead.