Note: There is no traditional recap post for tonight’s game.
Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:
Joel Embiid - 26
Ben Simmons - 14
Tobias Harris - 13
Shake Milton - 7
Tyrese Maxey - 3
Matisse Thybulle - 2
Danny Green - 2
Furkan Korkmaz - 2
Dakota Mathias - 1
Tony Bradley - 1
With the starters resting up for the playoffs and Joel Embiid sporting the Big Energy Chain around his neck on the sidelines, it was up to the Sixers’ second and third units to provide our Sunday night entertainment in the regular season finale. Fortunately, they were up to the task, hitting 19-of-40 3-point attempts on their way to a 128-117 win over the Orlando Magic.
More important than the win, the Sixers got through Game 72 without suffering any additional injuries, and Philadelphia can hit the practice court over the course of the next week in preparation to enter the NBA Playoffs as the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference. The only series in which the Sixers would not have home-court advantage would be potential NBA Finals matchups against Utah or Phoenix. Let’s close out with our final Bell Ringer of the 2020-21 regular season.
Tyrese Maxey: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover
The Sixers rookie took it upon himself to make sure this largely meaningless game still had its fair share of excitement, hitting his first nine shots from the floor on his way to a 24-point first half. Per Sixers Stats, Maxey is the first rookie to score 24 points or more in a half since Joel Embiid in 2016. His 30 points were the second-highest total of his career, only behind his 39 in the roster-decimated game against Denver. You can see all the pieces starting to click into place for Tyrese. His underhand lob to Paul Reed in the pick-and-roll couldn’t have been better. Maxey is much more confident letting it fly from 3 (he shot 3-of-4 tonight), just rising and firing for the pull-up in transition. You toss all that into the mix with his world-class speed with the ball in his hands, and it looks crazier by the day that Maxey fell to the 21st overall pick in the draft. You will be seeing Tyrese Maxey on the court in the playoffs.
By the time we post this, @TyreseMaxey will have made another bucket. pic.twitter.com/6PTMbwKhaM
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 17, 2021
Paul Reed: 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers
Paul Reed already has a G League MVP under his belt, so it’s unsurprising that he would have a big night against what was basically a similar level of competition. Reed got out the mud for a rookie career-high 17 points, rim-running hard for some dunks, but also hitting a jump shot, and putting the ball on the floor for a couple only slightly awkward-looking drives to the hoop. You simply have to love the energy the young man plays with, whether it’s crashing the glass like a maniac for his seven offensive rebounds, or sprinting back on transition defense with two minutes left in the game to intercept a pass and save it before going out of bounds. I’m super excited to see what this subsequent offseason of development does for BBall Paul.
Paul Reed: OUT THE MUD AND THROWING IT DOWN pic.twitter.com/MR5xy30X4z
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 16, 2021
Shake Milton: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers
Some of my Liberty Ballers colleagues have written about the up-and-down tendencies of Shake Milton this season, and it would appear he’s hit the start of a hot stretch to close out this regular season. Scoring 15 points for the second consecutive game, Shake’s nine assists were also a career-high in his 26 minutes of action. He made a couple nice cross-court passes with the left hand in the half court, and lofted up a beautiful lob to Rayjon Tucker on the fast break. Milton also shot 3-of-6 from downtown, even nailing a stepback at the top of the key after doing the Texas two-step around a pick-and-roll. The Sixers suddenly have plenty of bench options playing well, and hopefully, Shake’s latest hot streak can continue for weeks to come.
Real smooth with it.@TyreseMaxey x @SniperShake pic.twitter.com/EunjnNIbHW
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 16, 2021
George Hill: 14 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers
It’s not that Sixers fans expected George Hill to come in lighting the world on fire, but they probably expected more than the two double-digit scoring games he recorded in his first 15 games with the Sixers. Hill made multiple 3s for just his second time with Philadelphia, going 3-of-4 from behind the arc, also mixing in a pair of drives to the hoop. I’m not saying Mo Wagner is the caliber of defender Hill will be blowing past in the postseason, but it’s good to see him end this regular season on a high note. Hopefully, the mini-training camp atmosphere leading up to the start of the first round series can help him settle in a little more comfortably with his new team.
need more of this come playoff time: George Hill knocking down easy 3s pic.twitter.com/n7qWdC83yh
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 16, 2021
Poll
Who is the Bell Ringer in the regular season finale victory?
This poll is closed
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89%
Tyrese Maxey
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8%
Paul Reed
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1%
Shake Milton
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1%
George Hill