Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers’ offense hums along in penultimate tune-up before playoffs

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:

Joel Embiid: 35
Tyrese Maxey: 17
Seth Curry: 8
Tobias Harris: 7
James Harden: 4
Andre Drummond: 3
Matisse Thybulle: 3
Furkan Korkmaz: 1
Charles Bassey: 1
Paul Millsap: 1

For the second time this week, the Sixers jumped out to a huge early lead against the Pacers (this time leading by 21 points in the second quarter), watched Indiana close it to within two possessions in the second half, but ultimately closed out a relatively stress-free win. All five Sixers starters finished in double figures, as the club shot 50-of-90 from the field (55.6 percent) on the afternoon. The 133-120 win means the Sixers have secured at least the four seed, with an outside shot at the three seed heading into tomorrow’s regular season finale. Let’s move on to our next-to-last Bell Ringer of the 2021-22 regular season.

Joel Embiid: 41 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 5 turnovers

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Well, I’d say Joel locked up the scoring title this afternoon, even if the MVP award seems to have slipped through his fingers. With his 41 points and 20 rebounds today, Embiid has now tallied the highest-ever total of 40-point, 10-rebound games since the merger with 13 on the season. The undersized Pacers offered little resistance on the interior, as Embiid was able to muscle his way through to the rim repeatedly or earn himself perfectly legitimate trips to the free throw line. He even had the shot falling today, which spells curtains for the opposition. Embiid finished a sparkling 14-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-2 from behind the arc. The standing ovation and MVP chants as Joel checked out in the final minute after crossing the 40-point barrier was a touching moment.

Paul Reed: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 0 turnovers

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All hail BBall Paul, our chaotic energy king! Reed is constantly making things happen, sometimes they’re unwelcome things, but often they’re quite exciting. Reed attacked the offensive glass and created some havoc on the defensive end. The fouls are certainly a problem, but you only need 8-to-10 minutes out of Paul in the postseason. Helping the opposition on their way towards the penalty is a small price to pay for the positive things he brings to the table. A backup center who plays with energy, can credibly guard along the perimeter, hit the occasional jump shot, and drive for the slam. Let’s hope this rotation stays put going forward.

Danny Green: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover

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Danny Green once again drew the start and presumably will continue to do so moving forward. I’d imagine with a Raptors series likely in the offing, you wouldn’t want to have a different starting lineup for home and road games. Green has looked terrific in the role the last two games, re-emerging as the quick-trigger shooting threat and valuable defender that has made him such a vital 3-and-D player throughout his career. Green was 4-of-10 from three-point range, adding four stocks. Three of Green’s triples came from the corner, with his threat from that area helps the spacing tremendously. If this week’s version of Green is here to stay during the postseason, you feel better about the Sixers’ wing rotation.

James Harden: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers

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Harden had a few shots just rim out, or he could have ended his afternoon with a better shooting percentage (7-of-16 from the field, 2-of-9 from three). Still, he was able to get all the way to the rim for a handful of buckets, which might speak more to going from facing the Raptors defense to the Pacers. But he hit a smooth floater in the lane and a catch-and-shoot from the top of the key, which will play against anyone, Moreover, though, his passing was sublime. James made a number of excellent high-low passes, finding Embiid for quite a few buckets, Danny Green under the basket with a sweet look-away feed, and an amazing half-court bounce pass to Matisse Thybulle. This sort of just-enough scoring outing is plenty when Harden is distributing for others to this caliber.