Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers steal late win in Brooklyn

Sixers Bell Ringer standings

Joel Embiid - 16

James Harden - 15

Tyrese Maxey - 8

Tobias Harris - 5

Shake Milton - 4

Paul Reed - 2

De’Anthony Melton - 1

Georges Niang - 1

Montrezl Harrell - 1

Matisse Thybulle - 1

The Sixers snagged a late 101-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in New York City on Saturday evening.

The visitors were lucky to go into halftime down just eight after an uneven effort in the first half. Joel Embiid and James Harden had 17 points each, but the rest of the starters — Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton and P.J. Tucker — combined for just three points going into the break.

The Sixers kept it relatively competitive throughout the third thanks to 14 points from Embiid in the frame but they could just never seem to grab the momentum to take over the game. It was basically just Brooklyn and Philadelphia trading buckets.

The Sixers were able to string together a few stops in the fourth and suddenly the game was separated by just one point with 12 seconds to play. Harden missed a lay-up with time winding down but Embiid was able to grab the rebound and draw a shooting foul, sinking both from the line and taking the lead for the Sixers. The Nets had a good look from close range but missed, allowing Harden to draw a foul and extend the Sixers’ lead to three. Spencer Dinwiddie sank a logo three to send the game to overtime… for a second, but the bucket was overturned for still being in Dinwiddie’s hands as time expired.

Also notable in this one was Jalen McDaniels kicking off his time as a Sixer. The forward had five points, four rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes played for the visitors.

There’s really only two options for Bell Ringer in this one. Here’s a hint: it’s none of the three starters that combined for five points. Let’s get to it.

Joel Embiid: 37 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Embiid led the way in the first half alongside Harden with 17 points in the first half. A 14-point third quarter helped keep the Sixers somewhat competitive. He was extremely efficient in this one, shooting 12-for-18 from the floor and sinking 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. More importantly, he created a ton of opportunities for the likes of Harden and his other teammates by drawing that double and even triple team and passing out of it instead of trying to power through it. He also scored six of the Sixers’ last nine points in the crucial final moments of this one and led the floor with 37 points.

James Harden: 29 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Harden (along with Embiid) was one of the only consistent offensive fronts for the Sixers in the first half, shooting 50 percent from the floor including two from long range for his 17 first-half points. He took advantage of open opportunities to drive brought to him by Embiid drawing the Nets out of the paint. Harden also sank both of his final second free throws to extend the Sixers lead to three with less than a second to play.