Sixers Bell Ringer: Philadelphia top Hornets to stay undefeated with full starting lineup

No traditional recap post for this game. Let the comments soar like a Tyrese Maxey floater.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 9
Tobias Harris - 5
Shake Milton - 3
Ben Simmons - 2
Tyrese Maxey - 1
Dakota Mathias - 1

While it was fun seeing the Sixers’ comeback victory on Sunday, the team’s first this season without Joel Embiid, it was terrific to have the band together tonight in Charlotte. Philadelphia wasted no time establishing its dominance, charging out to a 30-13 lead after one quarter, the 13 points marking the fewest allowed by the Sixers in a quarter this season.

The Sixers would go up by as many as 26 points, but unfortunately, allowed the Hornets to trim the deficit to seven points in the third quarter. As a result, Philadelphia still had to close out the game with the starters, suboptimal with a back-to-back pending tomorrow night. Nevertheless, the full starting lineup moved to 12-0 this season as the Sixers held on for the 118-111 victory. Now for the Bell Ringer!

Joel Embiid: 34 points, 11 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

January’s Player of the Month in the Eastern Conference got a good jump on the same award for the month of February. Joel single-handedly matched Charlotte’s point total in the first quarter (13), going absolutely bonkers by draining 3s, taking it coast-to-coast for a slam, and splitting an oncoming double team to sink a one-legged jumper. Defensively, he was a black hole for the Charlotte offense, sucking in any potential Hornets scoring opportunity in the painted area and leaving them with nothing but a turnover or some badly altered shot. Embiid slowed down some as the game progressed, but he still tied Nikola Jokic for the most 30-point, 10-rebound games this season (6). Those two continuing to duke it out for MVP honors is going to be fun to watch throughout the year.

Tobias Harris: 26 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover

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Tobias keeps making his All-Star case, recording his 11th 20-point game this season on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting night from the field, boosted by a perfect 9-of-9 outing at the foul line. The nine makes and attempts at the line were both season-highs for Harris, who was instrumental in the Sixers closing out this game with 13 fourth-quarter points. Tobi continues to be a silky smooth operator finishing in the mid-range and the short floater game, and seeing him draw contact was a dangerous addition for the opposition. This move where he stepped into the defense with his right foot and switched to his left hand for the finish was particularly impressive.

Danny Green: 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover

Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

Getting spacing around your stars isn’t just acquiring guys who can shoot. It’s also about having players who know how to relocate, cut, and create the proper passing lanes in spot-up situations, and Green is masterful at those aspects of the game. Danny knocked down his shots tonight, going 4-of-7 from 3, including what would have been a four-point play if he had made the free throw. He also made a couple nice plays on duck-in situations, and he came up big in the clutch. His corner 3 with two minutes left and the shot clock running down was a nail in the coffin of sorts, putting the lead back into double digits and helping the Sixers stave off a frantic Hornets run at the end. Green was also very solid defensively with a handful of disruptive plays on that end.

Ben Simmons: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5 turnovers

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Ben had some head-scratchers tonight; the turnovers weren’t great, with a handful of them coming via offensive fouls, and he made a dumb late foul of a 3-point shooter. But there was more to like than not from the Sixers’ point guard, who continues to set up teammates for 3s at a league-leading rate (seven more assisted 3s tonight). Nothing epitomized the mindset more than when Simmons passed up a wide-open corner 3, a shot fans howl for him to take, and drove in and kicked it back to the same corner for a Danny Green 3. Ben also had the hook shot game working around the basket and finished off a couple euro lay-ins.