Sixers Bell Ringer: Joel Embiid’s 41 points lead three-pronged attack in win over Clippers

Sixers Bell Ringer standings

James Harden - 13

Joel Embiid - 12

Tobias Harris - 5

Tyrese Maxey - 4

Shake Milton - 4

Paul Reed - 2

De’Anthony Melton - 1

Georges Niang - 1

Montrezl Harrell - 1

Searching for a 3-0 start to their five-game West Coast swing, the Philadelphia 76ers stayed put in Los Angeles, this time dueling against the Clippers. Despite vanquishing a double-digit, first half lead in the third quarter, Philadelphia rode a dominant fourth frame to a 120-110 victory. Joel Embiid was superb. Tyrese Maxey’s fourth-quarter scoring burst kickstarted a prosperous fourth quarter. Tobias Harris was quite good. It’s time to talk Bell Ringer. Let’s get to it.

Joel Embiid: 41 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks

To open the game, Los Angeles elected to put Ivica Zubac on P.J. Tucker and Marcus Morris on Embiid, switching any two-man game between James Harden and the big fella. That didn’t work. Whether it was drawing fouls, muscling his way inside or shooting over the top, Embiid punished the Clippers’ wings. When Embiid and Zubac’s minutes aligned without Tucker in the game, Embiid cooked from midrange. He mixed in some transition buckets, a pair of triples, went to the line 18 times and scored 28 of his 42 in the first half. Despite the occasional misstep, he was also excellent defensively, rotating to disrupt and deter actions in the paint. Los Angeles struggled mightily to combat him on either end all night. The superstar center was sensational.

Tobias Harris: 20 points, six rebounds, six assists, five steals

Per usual as of late, head coach Doc Rivers elected not to fully stagger Harden and Embiid’s minutes. That decision worked out Tuesday, in part because of Harris’ efforts in the first half. He scored 14 points before intermission, including 10 in the second quarter alone. He drilled various tough buckets off the dribble, attacked with pace and vigor on the break and buried two long balls, the last of which pushed him past JJ Redick for sixth all-time in franchise history with 434 made threes.

Long equipped with nimble hands, he parlayed them into a career-high-tying five takeaways, three of which occurred in the second quarter, his best period of the night. With Embiid rolling all game and Maxey flourishing in the second half, the Sixers didn’t need Harris to assert himself constantly, but he picked his spots well. Twenty points on 12 shots, five steals and six dimes is a rather well-rounded night for the veteran wing, who delivered against his former team.

Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal

While Harris vindicated Rivers’ decision for non-Embiid and Harden minutes in the first half, it was Maxey who did so in the second half. Headlined by a trio of deep bombs, he scored Philadelphia’s initial 11 points (3-of-3 shooting) of the fourth quarter and notched 13 of his 22 in the period. That flurry stretched their lead from 90-89 to 101-93 and they never looked back. The Sixers’ offense flowed through him while Embiid and Harden rested, and the speedy guard controlled the action aptly. He dazzled with his blend of shooting and speed to give the Clippers’ defense major issues.