Sixers Bell Ringer: Tobias Harris’ highly efficient night gives Philadelphia its best win of the year

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings

Seth Curry: 2

Furkan Korkmaz: 1

Tobias Harris: 1

Joel Embiid: 1

Facing the Atlanta Hawks for the first time since last season’s playoff defeat, the Philadelphia 76ers provided their best showing of the year in a 122-94 rout. An 11-0 run in the first quarter gave the Sixers a 15-6 lead and they held control the rest of the way. It’s time to talk Bell Ringer. Let’s get to it.

Tobias Harris: 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists

To cap off a highly impressive week of games, Harris paced the Sixers in scoring and drilled seven of his eight shots inside the arc. In the first half, he hunted threes, both off the dribble and the catch, before gravitating toward twos after intermission. He frequently found his rhythm spots on the floor and converted some difficult shots against Atlanta’s like-sized wings. Whether it was finishes around rim protectors or contested pull-ups, Harris consistently poured in buckets for a game-high 22 points on 79.3 percent true shooting. He’s certainly played better games in a Sixers uniform, but on a per-minute basis, this ranks fairly high. The dude was dynamite.

Tyrese Maxey: 16 points, three assists, one steal, one block

Through the first five games of the season, the Sixers’ point-of-attack defense had been lackluster. Entering a showdown with Trae Young and the Hawks, that figured to be a concern. Maxey quickly quelled that worry. He stayed attached to Young in most ball-screen actions, deterred shots, altered others and coerced the star guard into many difficult looks, illuminated by his 5-of-16 performance. When Young blatantly ducked under a screen, Maxey splashed a confident pull-up trey. As a driver, he exploited creases in the defense and was discretionary in his shot selection. Few, if any, games have been better than this one in his career.

Matisse Thybulle: 11 points, four steals, three blocks

Four steals and three blocks in 23 minutes are enough to earn Bell Ringer consideration. Four steals, three blocks and 11 points on 69.8 percent true shooting demands inclusion. The third-year wing was an absolute menace off the ball defensively, flying around the court to spur chaos with jaw-dropping plays. He seemingly timed all of his gambles perfectly and had a number of cruel blocks and steals, which even excludes the other turnovers he indirectly forced. When Thybulle is doing that defensively and providing tenable offense, he’s an exceptional player. That was the case against Atlanta.