Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers lose a close one against the Celtics

Sixers Bell Ringer standings

Joel Embiid - 18

James Harden - 16

Tyrese Maxey - 9

Tobias Harris - 5

Shake Milton - 4

Paul Reed - 2

De’Anthony Melton - 1

Georges Niang - 1

Montrezl Harrell - 1

Matisse Thybulle - 1

The Sixers fell to the Boston Celtics with Jayson Tatum drilling a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go. Joel Embiid hit a miracle shot from somewhere in New Jersey, but it ultimately didn’t count. This was a heartbreaking loss, with the bench drastically underperforming. Several Sixers stood out in this close matchup, however, so let’s dive into tonight’s Bell Ringer:

Joel Embiid: 41 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks

The Boston Celtics have a great defensive core, but you couldn’t really tell that watching Embiid tonight. He looked comfortable against any player the C’s threw at him: our old friend Al Horford, Robert Williams, or even Grant Williams — it didn’t matter. His scoring total of 41 points is what will jump out to most fans, but his turnover count of only three turnovers is more telling, in my opinion. The Celtics constantly threw different looks and double teams at him and he consistency made good reads, either scoring the basketball or setting up one of his teammates. The Sixers lost tonight, but Embiid was clearly the best player on the court.

Tobias Harris: 19 points, 1 assist, 1 steal

Harris started off this game on a tear, scoring double-digits in the first quarter. Some of his old habits of being indecisive have resurfaced in recent memory, but that wasn’t the case in this game. Offensively, Harris put together a good scoring effort of 19 points on 66.8 percent shooting. It was a good offensive game, but I’d argue Harris’ biggest impact was on the other end — most notably against Jayson Tatum. Tatum finished with 18 points on 17 shots with five turnovers. The Sixers won’t just need Harris to produce on offense, but hold his own on defense as well. Between this and the Memphis game, Harris looks to be back on track.

P.J. Tucker: 7 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist

Tucker has yet to win a Bell Ringer award, but this is probably his best case yet outside of the Denver game. He was everywhere defensively, grabbing a season-high 16 rebounds — five of which were on the offensive end. This season, a big talking point with Tucker has been his (lack of) offense — which wasn’t a factor in this game. Tucker hit half of his four three-point attempts. The Sixers signed Tucker to perform against great teams, and he did exactly that with tonight’s performance. His +24 in plus-minus was a game-high, and it certainly passed the eye test.