Sixers Bell Ringer: Georges Niang’s 21-point night leads Philadelphia past Portland

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings

Seth Curry: 2

Tobias Harris: 2

Furkan Korkmaz: 1

Joel Embiid: 1

Despite opening Monday’s game down three starters and ending it down four, the Philadelphia 76ers held control most of the night en route to a 113-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. They led for the final 43-plus minutes of action, and have now won three consecutive games. It’s time to talk Bell Ringer. Let’s get to it.

Georges Niang: 21 points, five assists, five rebounds, one block

Continuing his snazzy start to the year, Niang poured in a season-high 21 points and finished the game as a member of the closing five. He connected on a trio of triples, added three and-ones on drives to the rim and tossed out a number of nifty dimes for assists. Defensively, he was often prompt as an interior helper and even held his own on the perimeter a few times to induce tough shots or turnovers. His off-ball savvy, connective passing and various defensive exploits were critical to Philadelphia’s win.

Andre Drummond: 14 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, five steals, one block

Filling in for the resting Joel Embiid, Drummond was superb. He opened the game a bit erratic offensively, but found his footing in due time and wreaked havoc all night as a pick-and-roll defender. Between his mobility and dexterity, he was a consistent thorn in the side of Portland’s offense, deflecting or stealing passes and preventing ball-handlers from creating the space necessary for cozy looks. The Blazers generally trapped pick-and-rolls, which afforded Drummond various short-roll opportunities and he capitalized to the tune of seven assists (zero turnovers). Per usual, he also dominated the glass. Atypically, he netted all four of his free throws. This was a stellar game from the big fella.

Seth Curry: 23 points, six rebounds, five assists

After a few quieter — albeit, generally still quite efficient — outings, Curry returned to his flamethrowing ways for a game-high 23 points on 67.7 percent true shooting. Despite only going 3-of-10 beyond the arc, he buried all seven of his two-point attempts, including a critical late-clock floater when Portland had trimmed the lead to 104-101 with fewer than four minutes remaining. In fact, he scored or assisted on Philadelphia’s final nine points and iced the game with his last bucket. He drained runners, step-backs and pull-ups, and had little trouble frequenting his spots against the Blazers’ shaky perimeter defenders.