Sixers Bell Ringer: Barrage of triples gives Philadelphia a third straight win

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:

Joel Embiid: 34

Tyrese Maxey: 16

Seth Curry: 8

Tobias Harris: 7

James Harden: 4

Andre Drummond: 3

Matisse Thybulle: 3

Furkan Korkmaz: 1

Charles Bassey: 1

Paul Millsap: 1

Looking to knot the season series at one, the Philadelphia 76ers ventured to Indianapolis for a duel with the Pacers. After a back-and-forth first quarter, they exploded in the second, outscoring Indiana 49-28 and entering the break up 82-59. Lackadaisical defense and torrid shooting were the themes of the evening, as the Pacers rallied back to trim the lead to 113-109 early in the fourth. Yet the Sixers briefly buckled down defensively, rebuilt a double-digit lead and comfortably won, 131-122. They set a franchise record with 23 threes, including 17 in the first half. Tyrese Maxey went 8 of 11 from deep en route to 30 points. Joel Embiid scored 45. Tobias Harris added 17, featuring five long balls. It’s time to talk Bell Ringer. Let’s get to it.

Joel Embiid: 45 points, 13 points, two assists, one block

In pursuit of a second consecutive game with at least 40 points, Embiid absolutely dominated an undersized Indiana front-line. He bullied them on drives and deep seals, attacked in transition and found almost every shot he wanted throughout the night. By halftime, he was already up to 27 points (12-of-18 shooting) and seven boards. The jumper was also clicking, both beyond the arc (2 of 3) and from midrange. When Indiana opted for single coverage, he scored easily. When swarms of defenders pounced, he comfortably kicked the ball to the perimeter and generated open triples. His interior gravity helped key Philadelphia’s long-range onslaught.

While he was lackluster defensively in the first quarter, he was pretty solid after that, preventing or influencing various shots in the paint. The Pacers really stood no chance of containing him, given their options at center, and he capitalized. His 12th 40-point, 10-rebound game of the year ties Russell Westbrook and Moses Malone for the most in one season. That’s pretty cool stuff amid a brilliant campaign!

Tyrese Maxey: 30 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one steal, one block

Joining Embiid as the star of the night was Maxey, who canned seven of his eight triples before intermission. He’s now shooting 42.9 percent from deep this season. With Indiana often lasered in on Embiid, Maxey reaped the benefits, leaking out to the corners and wings in transition or knocking down looks to punctuate sequences beginning in the hands of a star. His range of shot-making was on prominent display. He buried step-backs, a deep catch-and-shoot, simple spot-up reps and contested opportunities. Late in the third, he sprinkled in a nifty scoop finish near the rim for good measure. Tuesday marked his fifth game with at least 30 points this season and first since the March 4 explosion against Cleveland. He complemented Embiid marvelously in the offensive showcase.

Tobias Harris: 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals

Just as Maxey poured in a trio of triples in the opening period, Harris did exactly the same. He finished with five on the night, tying a season-high from Saturday’s win over the Hornets. His quick trigger continues to be a stark deviation from much of his Sixers tenure. He deserves tons of praise for adapting to this role that’s asked him to extend outside of his traditional habits offensively. Since Harden entered the fold, Harris is shooting 40.2 percent from long range on a notably higher three-point rate (.402 vs. .224).

Although he struggled at times on the ball defensively, he also parlayed his strong, dexterous hands into four takeaways, stripping a few players and poking out at least one steal in the post. Seventeen points on 11 shots, along with five dimes and four steals, is quality hoops from Harris, who was good Tuesday — a development that’s increasingly the norm lately.