Sixers Bell Ringer: First-place Sixers hold on in Chicago for fifth straight win

Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:

Joel Embiid - 24
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

With Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic missing for Chicago, the Sixers looked like they were on their way to an easy victory Monday night. Philadelphia led by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter, until the Sixers’ all-bench unit allowed a 24-5 Bulls run in a five-minute span, ending the hope of the starters getting extra rest on the second night of a back-to-back. Fortunately, the top dogs pulled the team out of the skid, ending the game with an 18-7 push to win the fifth straight for the Sixers, 106-94. Philadelphia now sits a full game up on Brooklyn, plus the tiebreaker. On to Bell Ringer.

Tobias Harris: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers

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Tobias was the leading scorer for the Sixers in Chicago, shooting a sparkling 10-of-13 from the field. He made a handful of semi-contested finishes in transition that were much harder than Harris made them look, while also canning his mid-range turnaround jumpers. The last such turnaround was a high degree-of-difficulty one in the lane over Daniel Theis with just over two minutes remaining in the game to stretch the lead to nine points. It was the away arena, but I’m pretty sure they played heavy metal music to announce the arrival of the closer; Harris shot a perfect 3-of-3 in the fourth quarter.

Seth Curry: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover

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Seth picked up right where he left off in San Antonio, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, the third time in his last four games hitting double figures in the opening period. Although he would finish the game 3-of-5 from behind the arc, it wasn’t just hitting 3s for the younger Curry, though. Seth drained pull-up jumpers in the mid-range, attacked the basket off the dribble, and tossed up a verrrrrry slick alley-oop to Ben Simmons with an underhand scoop in the paint. On the night Steph Curry dropped 41 points (but still tallied fewer Marvel hero points than teammate Draymond Green), Seth had himself a terrific game as well.

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Ben Simmons: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers

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Nothing too crazy on the offensive end for Simmons, who shot 6-of-7 from the floor, all coming right at the rim with dunks, lay-ups, or one tiny little hook shot. More importantly, when the Sixers were suddenly in a dogfight midway through the fourth quarter, it was Ben’s work on the defensive end that helped them pull away for good as much as anything. He swallowed up Coby White, who had been red hot earlier in the period to lead the Bulls’ big charge back into the game. Doc Rivers said after the game that there is not a better defender in this league. Hard to argue with him.

Danny Green: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 0 turnovers

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By now, Danny’s picture is used as the Basketball Encyclopedia entry for “3-and-D” wing, so it’s not surprising to see him come away with a whopping four 3-pointers and four steals. As is customary for Green, all his triples came from the corners, with two courtesy of his patented relocate off the baseline cut. Meanwhile, his final steal came with the teams separated by just five points in the fourth quarter, as Green tracked his man and deflected Denzel Valentine’s pass in the lane. Just another consummate professional game from the veteran.

Matisse Thybulle: 8 points, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers

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Matisse looks more confident by the day. When the Sixers had the ball, Thybulle made a pair of 3s and threw down yet another slam on a baseline drive. While that stuff is obviously important for Matisse’s development, the real fireworks came on the defensive end, per usual. Thybulle pulled his teleportation act for a number of disruptive plays, but this block and steal on the same possession felt wholly original. NBA. All-Defensive. Team.