Sixers Bell Ringer: Embiid’s 46 points not enough against Warriors

Sixers Bell Ringer standings

Joel Embiid - 25

James Harden - 17

Tyrese Maxey - 11

Tobias Harris - 5

Shake Milton - 4

De’Anthony Melton - 3

Paul Reed - 3

Georges Niang - 1

Montrezl Harrell - 1

Matisse Thybulle - 1

Jalen McDaniels - 1

The Philadelphia 76ers fell 120-112 to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Saturday night.

The Sixers were again without star guard James Harden who is still dealing with Achilles soreness. They were also missing Jalen McDaniels (hip injury) and Danuel House, Jr., (shoulder soreness). However, Joel Embiid was available after calf soreness saw him exit the Sixers’ midweek contest vs. the Chicago Bulls at halftime Wednesday night.

Embiid was dominant on the offensive end of this one, using some fancy footwork to dance his way through the Warriors’ defense to put up a massive 46 points for his 43rd 30+-point game this season. Tobias Harris followed with 23 points and Tyrese Maxey tacked on 21 points, sinking 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Golden State, as usual, wasn’t shy about firing off shots from deep, hitting 18 triples compared to the Sixers’ eight. Jordan Poole led the Warriors with 33 points, personally sinking six of those triples. Stephen Curry followed with 29 points.

The Sixers continue their road trip Saturday night, traveling to Phoenix to take on the Suns in the second leg of this back-to-back at 10 p.m. EST. Let’s talk Bell Ringer.

Joel Embiid: 46 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

Another day, another two-way performance for Embiid. The Warriors didn’t seem to really have any defensive answer for the big man. Right from the tip, Embiid was frustrating the hosts, weaving and spinning throughout them to make buckets and draw fouls at the rim — making it look easy the whole way. After just one frame, Embiid already had 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Grabbing some rest in the beginning of the second, he finished the half with a floor-leading 19 points. It really didn’t matter what adjustments the Warriors tried to make defensively to handle Embiid, he continued to dominate and was back in 30+ point territory by the end of the third. He ended up with 46 points, including sinking 19-for-22 from the charity stripe, with nine boards. Without Harden to lead the way as facilitator, Embiid took on that role somewhat as well, finding a number of great passes and plays for eight dimes. You know, just another night at the office for the big man.

Tobias Harris: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

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It’s certainly been an up-and-down season for Harris, but he seems to be on a bit of an upswing at the moment. Coming off a 20-point performance against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Harris continued to produce for the Sixers on Saturday. Klay Thompson was tasked with defending Harris and, well, it did not go well for Thompson. Harris shot 7-for-9 in the first half to head into the locker room with 15 points along with three rebounds and an assist. He kicked off the second half with an early triple before cooling off for a bit. As the fourth began to wind down, Harris hit two jumpers back-to-back. He finished the night an efficient 10-for-12 from the floor for 23 points.

Tyrese Maxey: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

Photo by Kavin Mistry/Getty Images

Maxey was stuck on four points for most of the half before hitting two desperately-needed triples in the second (two of the total four three-pointers the Sixers made in the entire first half) for 10 first-half points. Maxey tacked on another two triples in the third. Sure, he also did his usual fast-flying drives to the cup for some points, but, with Harden out, Maxey getting into a rhythm from long range was a huge boost to the Sixers’ otherwise lackluster perimeter offense Saturday night. He sank four of the Sixers’ eight total triples and finished with 21 points. Maxey was aggressive on the defensive end as well, pulling in four defensive rebounds and snagging one steal.