Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers drop second end of back-to-back in Milwaukee

Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:

Joel Embiid - 23
Tobias Harris - 13
Ben Simmons - 7
Shake Milton - 5
Matisse Thybulle - 2
Danny Green - 2
Tyrese Maxey - 2
Furkan Korkmaz - 2
Dakota Mathias - 1
Tony Bradley - 1

Philadelphia returned two of their three missing starters to the lineup Thursday night, with Tobias Harris and Seth Curry joining Joel Embiid, Danny Green, and George Hill, while Ben Simmons remained out. Those guys got a good look at Milwaukee racing out to a 10-0 start, and as the Bucks continued to sink shot after shot, Philadelphia quickly fell behind by 20 points in the first quarter. The Bucks would go on to hit 13 3s in the first half, which was thanks both to Milwaukee being scorching hot and some truly garbage defense from the Sixers. Philadelphia made one run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to single digits, but three straight Bobby Portis corner 3s put the game away for good. Thanks to the Sixers’ third unit racking up the positive plus/minus in the final minute, it was a 124-117 final, but this one wasn’t nearly that close. Bell Ringer nominees are as follows.

Shake Milton: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover

Shake had been carrying a SEPTA pass for the struggle bus of late, so it was great to see him break out with his first 20-point game since April 1. Milton finished 8-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3, hitting a handful of spot-up jumpers, but also navigating his way into those mid-range pull-ups that he makes look so easy when his game is going right. The Sixers need Shake to help carry the offensive load on the second unit, so hopefully tonight’s performance carries over and we can see a little more consistency from the young guard.

Joel Embiid: 24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover

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On the defensive end, Joel struggled in tracking Brook Lopez out beyond the 3-point line, but then did a much better job when Doc Rivers switched his assignment over to Giannis. His rejection of the Greek Freak on a drive was next-level stuff. It was an inconsistent offensive game for Embiid, and we noticed his shoulder was clearly bothering him at one point. In the second quarter, though, he found his MVP form, feasting on single coverage from Lopez for 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the period. Props to Joel for trying to gut this one out on the second night of a back-to-back when his body obviously wasn’t 100 percent.

Tobias Harris: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover

After a poor start, perhaps understandable given his having missed some time, Tobias broke out in the third quarter, scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the period and leading the charge to try and get the Sixers back into the game. Tobi also made a couple great kick-outs to teammates for 3s as a driver. During post-game, Harris acknowledged he had been dealing with a bone bruise, but that he felt good now. Hopefully, he can finish out strong what has been an outstanding season.

Mike Scott: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers

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Mike Scott has one job out there: hit his open looks. He did that Thursday night, converting three of his five 3-point attempts, with all makes coming in the second quarter. With Anthony Tolliver not looking to be the stretch big answer, the Sixers will need Scott to at least be a passable outside threat, and he ably filled the role in Milwaukee.