Sixers Bell Ringer: No Joel Embiid, no Seth Curry spells disaster for Philadelphia

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings

Seth Curry: 7

Joel Embiid: 7

Tyrese Maxey: 5

Tobias Harris: 3

Andre Drummond: 3

Furkan Korkmaz: 1

Charles Bassey: 1

Following a thrilling victory over the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Memphis for a duel with the Grizzlies. Shortly before tipoff, both Seth Curry and Joel Embiid were ruled out. That spelled trouble for the Sixers, who were pummeled by the red-hot Grizzlies, 126-91. It’s time to talk Bell Ringer. Let’s get to it.

Tyrese Maxey: 23 points, seven assists, one steal

Stop if you’ve heard this one before: the Sixers lost on the road without Embiid, despite a bright game from Maxey. Yeah, that was the theme for most of the big fella’s absence last month and re-emerged Monday evening. The second-year guard opened the game with a downhill attack to create a Furkan Korkmaz bucket and continued to thrive as a driver during his 30 minutes of action.

He was relentless attacking the rim, drilled a pair of long balls, including a nifty step-back, and created effectively for others. Defensively, he had an encouraging stunt at the nail for a steal and score on the break, too. Twenty-three points were his most since a Nov. 22 win over the Sacramento Kings. Maxey looked quite good and was a rare positive in an ugly defeat.

Charles Bassey: 13 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks

The rookie center inflicted much of his damage during garbage time before fouling out, but flashed sprightly leaping ability as a finisher and rim protector. He routinely rolled forcefully in ball-screens and corralled passes inside. His quick vertical pop enabled him to seamlessly finish plays and rotate in help to anchor the paint. Obviously, center is a position of strength for Philadelphia, but Bassey’s play when given run has been encouraging this season.

Nobody else strikes me as a worthy Bell Ringer candidate. This game was a slog for the final 24 (or more) minutes; Maxey and Bassey were the lone two guys to really distinguish themselves. If I missed anyone, please let me know in the comments!