Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers stay perfect on road trip with 109-101 win over Lakers

Note: The Bell Ringer series is going to post in the morning while the Sixers are on the West Coast.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 17
Tobias Harris - 9
Ben Simmons - 7
Shake Milton - 4
Matisse Thybulle - 2
Tyrese Maxey - 1
Dakota Mathias - 1
Furkan Korkmaz - 1
Danny Green - 1
Tony Bradley - 1

With Daryl Morey only making one smaller move at the trade deadline Thursday afternoon, the Sixers went into last night’s game against the Lakers with the same rotation, with the noted exception of Tony Bradley being on his way to Oklahoma City. The depleted frontcourt rotation took a further hit when Dwight Howard picked up his second technical foul and was ejected at the end of the first quarter. (I know the tech was incredibly soft, but Dwight has to know better than to get into petty games with Montrezl Harrell when he’s the only true center on the roster.)

It didn’t look it would matter when the Sixers broke the game open with a slew of long-range shots in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles, 35-17, to take an 18-point lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, though, the Sixers suddenly had no answer for Harrell on the interior, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the period. Philadelphia’s lead was shaved down to three in the final minute, but fortunately, Danny Green quickly answered with a corner 3 to boost the lead back to six, and the Sixers prevailed, 109-101. On to Bell Ringer.

Danny Green: 28 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover

It was a night of celebration for Danny Green. Not only did he and Dwight Howard receive their Lakers championship rings in a ceremony before the game, but Danny learned earlier in the day that he wouldn’t have to relocate to Toronto (Tampa) or Oklahoma City. Green backed up the organization’s faith in him with a tremendous game, hitting 8-of-12 3s for a game-high 28 points. He kickstarted the Sixers’ big run in the third quarter, canning a pair of 3s to open the scoring in the second half, and then delivered the knock-out punch with the corner 3 with 30 seconds remaining. Take that, Lakers “fans” who harassed Green for missing an open shot in the Finals.

Seth Curry: 19 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 turnovers

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Seth returned after a three-game absence due a sprained ankle, and given how close this contest ended up being, it was not a moment too soon. Curry shot 4-of-8 from downtown, and added a silky smooth mid-range floater midway through the fourth quarter. Some of his treys were of the stepback variety, just Seth creating something out of nothing. Dennis Schroder takes one wrong step here and it’s an instant three points.

Tobias Harris: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Harris took somewhat of a back seat, and rightly so, as the Lakers threw a ton of double teams his way. He made the right reads to set up his teammates, though, and didn’t force anything. Tobias’ 10 field-goal attempts were his lowest in the month of March, but he clearly took the right ones, shooting 8-of-10. Two of those makes were tough turnaround mid-range jumpers in the fourth quarter, as Harris did his usual best to keep the Sixers’ offense humming down the stretch.

Ben Simmons: 9 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 7 turnovers

Any time Ben tried to create for himself, it was an abject disaster. He finished 1-of-7 from the field, and the one make was a wide-open dunk spoonfed for him off a Seth Curry dish. Simmons twice had the ball stolen out from under him by smaller guards, and he also made some head-scratching passes. However, a big reason the Sixers won the game was their 17-to-9 advantage in made 3-pointers. And while Danny, Seth, and company created some shots on their own, a whole bunch were courtesy of set-ups from Benjamin David Simmons. Ben assisted on nine (9!) 3-pointers, as many as the entire Lakers team made. So good for Simmons for still finding a way to help the team even when it wasn’t one of his best nights.