Sixers Bell Ringer: Cleveland crushes Sixers in 113-85 defeat

Dec 1, 2022 - 3:27 AM

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Sixers regular season Bell Ringer standings:

Joel Embiid- 7
James Harden- 4
Shake Milton- 4
Tyrese Maxey- 3
Tobias Harris- 1
Georges Niang- 1
Paul Reed- 1

So much for the good vibes Sixers. Entering play on a three-game winning streak, everything went wrong for Philadelphia in a 113-85 defeat in Cleveland. One quarter kind of says it all, as the Cavaliers shot 16-of-17 from the field in the second quarter. That’s right, one missed field goal in an entire quarter, including 5-of-5 from three, for 44 points in the frame. Three more quick threes to open the second half gave Cleveland a 30-point advantage, and the Cavs went on to finish the night shooting 60.8 percent from the field, including 15-of-29 from behind the arc. Let’s discuss our Bell Ringer candidates and then never think about this game again.

Joel Embiid: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

You could think of tonight’s Joel performance one of two ways. He is understandably frustrated and angry about the team’s performance, but he shouldn’t get reckless with his play and instead think of staying healthy in the big picture. Or...his aggressiveness and continued fight is a sign of his intense desire to win and you don’t want to stifle that part of him. I fall more into the latter camp. So even though you don’t love him picking up a technical in the second quarter arguing a non-foul call, I still smile when he has a much more intense dunk than usual a couple plays later. Or starts making ultra-aggressive drives to the basket, daring the refs to blow the whistle. Embiid was still hustling his butt off in the third quarter, poking the ball away from Robin Lopez and sprinting to throw the ball off him before it went out-of-bounds. Yeah, probably not super smart, but definitely endearing.

Paul Reed: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers

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Paul Reed was probably the brightest spot tonight from a pure performance-to-expectations perspective. BBall Paul continues to hone his offensive game, learning the nuances of pick-and-roll action as a big man. He finished 4-of-4 from the field in the first half (so when things were still being contested), playing within his role with no extraneous chaos. It was Montrezl Harrell, and not Reed, who soaked up the garbage-time minutes in the fourth quarter, a sign that Paul has solidified his position as the backup center.

Danuel House Jr.: 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover

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What can I say? It was a rough night. But House was solid, hitting a three and shooting 3-of-4 from the field. All his buckets were a high degree of difficulty, be it a spinning drive to the hoop, a tough stepback off the dribble, or a pull-up three coming off a DHO. House’s minutes have fluctuated, but those bits of self creation are valuable from a guy slotted to be a pure 3-and-D player.