Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers return home and to the win column by defeating Dallas

Sixers Bell Ringer standings

Joel Embiid - 26
James Harden - 17
Tyrese Maxey - 12
Tobias Harris - 5
Shake Milton - 4
Paul Reed - 4
De’Anthony Melton - 3
Georges Niang - 1
Montrezl Harrell - 1
Matisse Thybulle - 1
Jalen McDaniels - 1

After a few misfires, the Sixers finally tallied their 50th win of the season, defeating the Dallas Mavericks at home by a 116-108 score. After the Mavers led for most of the game, with the Sixers only taking a couple brief leads, Philadelphia finally took control with a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to take a seven-point advantage. The Sixers really locked all windows and doors down the stretch, as Dallas only scored five points total across the final seven minutes of the game. Bell Ringer awaits.

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Joel Embiid: 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers

After missing Monday’s game against Denver, Joel still didn’t look quite himself. This game won’t go in the Embiid pantheon highlight section, but he was still the best source of offense with everyone else struggling to open the game. Embiid scored 10 points in the first quarter, offering Dwight Powell no mercy in drawing a couple fouls against the Dallas starting center. Joel later stepped it up in the guts of the game, scoring five straight points to kick off that 10-0 Sixers fourth-quarter run, and capping off his night with an outstanding block of Luka Doncic with a minute left in the game to seal the victory.

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Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover

Watching the continued development of Tyrese Maxey is such a treat. The young guard went 4-of-9 from downtown, and I love to see him step into a catch-and-shoot back from where the four-point line would be at the Camden practice facility. Tyrese also drained a pull-up three from the wing off the dribble and another catch-and-shoot from the corner, showing the versatility of his shooting profile. My favorite play though was this sequence where he broke out on the fast break and was about even with the defender, but James Harden led him perfectly with a pass knowing Tyrese would create a wide gap of separation with his blazing speed. It’s like seeing someone light up the turbo shoes in NBA Jam.

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Georges Niang: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

The bench unit is so much more productive on nights Georges has the shot falling. Niang went 4-of-7 from behind the arc, nailing a pair of threes in the first quarter and then knocking down a timely bucket from the top of the key with the third-quarter clock winding down. He also scored off a really nice cut into the lane and feed from Tobias Harris. While his foul that led to a Dallas four-point play at the end of the first quarter was terrible, Niang did have some very solid defensive plays as well throughout this game, not usually his strong suit. Good minutes from the Minivan tonight.

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De’Anthony Melton: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers

Speaking from hot shooting off the bench, Melton one-upped Niang by hitting five three-pointers tonight (on just six attempts). The funniest sequence came in the third quarter when Melton botched a two-on-one fast break and got his shot blocked out of bounds, only to make a three some seconds later on the same possession. You take that 3>2 trade-off any day. But seriously, De’Anthony had a nice shooting night, and he helped keep Dallas’ incendiary scorers somewhat in check. Melton earned his closing five spot tonight and finished a game-high plus-16.

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James Harden: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers

After a week off to rest his sore Achilles, Harden did not have a good start to this one. He looked super rusty and not himself physically and you had to wonder if he had come back too soon. I’m not going to see that idea is completely wrong now, but James did look much better in the second half and the Sixers wouldn’t have won this game without him out there. The Beard took control in the fourth quarter with seven points and five assists in the period. Two of those feeds were excellent, a cross-court skip pass to Jalen McDaniels for a corner three, and a drive-and-kick to Melton in the corner. We’ll hope it was more rust than injury at at the start for James.