Sixers Bell Ringer: Last-second win in overtime moves Sixers into first place

Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:

Joel Embiid - 23
Tobias Harris - 13
Ben Simmons - 10
Shake Milton - 6
Tyrese Maxey - 3
Matisse Thybulle - 2
Danny Green - 2
Furkan Korkmaz - 2
Dakota Mathias - 1
Tony Bradley - 1

Another game, another shorthanded opponent for the Sixers. San Antonio was missing four starters Sunday night, and although Philadelphia led by as many as 17 points in the first quarter, though, the scrappy Spurs competed hard and gave the Sixers all they could handle. San Antonio kept chipping away and eventually tied the game in the fourth quarter at 102. From there, the Spurs matched each Sixers’ shot until Joel Embiid’s missed jumper at the end of regulation sent the game to overtime.

Then, overtime was a similar story, with the Sixers never trailing, but also unable to pull away. Only this time, when Embiid missed a jumper in the final seconds, Ben Simmons was there to tip in the rebound as time expired to give the Sixers the 113-111 win. Philadelphia now moves into sole possession of first place with the win and Brooklyn’s loss to Milwaukee earlier in the day. Let’s choose a Bell Ringer from our first-place Sixers.

Joel Embiid: 34 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers

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In the early going, Joel looked like he might have a record-breaking night. 6-foot-9 Drew Eubanks was decidedly not the answer for San Antonio as to how to contain Embiid, who scored 13 points with ease in his first six-minute stint. Interestingly, we saw more work as a roll man from Joel than usual, particularly in a two-man game with Tobias Harris. As the game wore on, however, Embiid went to more of his usual work in isolation. Although, his final shots of regulation and overtime were off the mark, he did hit a trio of mid-range jumpers in the fourth quarter to ensure the Spurs weren’t in a position to jump ahead. In overtime, Joel scored the Sixers’ only four points of the period via foul shots, until Ben’s final game-winning play. All in all, it was a casual 34 and 12 game where Sixers fans probably came away thinking their star center left some meat on the bone.

Seth Curry: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 turnovers

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Open, contested, off a pump fake, following a stepback — any and all types of 3-pointers went down for Seth Curry in San Antonio, who went a quick 3-of-3 from behind the arc in the first quarter and finished a perfect 6-of-6 on the evening. With two minutes left in regulation and the game tied, the Sixers went to a nice two-man action with Simmons screening at the wing to free Seth, who canned the triple as Rudy Gay charged past with the contest. Tonight was the aggressive version of Curry Sixers fans have been yearning for, with all the efficiency of the early-season 50-50-100 version of Seth. The “trade Seth in the offseason” and “bench Seth for Furkan” contingents were quiet tonight, I imagine.

Dwight Howard: 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 turnover

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Howard had himself another very effective game off the bench, looking like a man in his 20s with tremendous bounce on both ends of the court. The backup big was a stout rim protector, while offensively, he threw down a handful of absolutely thunderous jams. There was the one-handed alley-oop slam, the tomahawk down the lane, and the roll where his defender ran into his mountainous form and collapsed to the ground. Dwight also had a tenacious sequence on the offensive glass, relentlessly snagging multiple offensive rebounds before finally converting. No Sixer is playing with more verve than Dwight Howard these days.

Ben Simmons: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover

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Ben had an ineffective offensive game, going scoreless in the first half and finishing just 1-of-5 from the foul line overall. But you crash the glass and tip in the game-winning basket, you earn a nomination.