Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers take care of business vs. Brett Brown and the Spurs

Feb 4, 2023 - 4:30 AM

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Sixers Bell Ringer standings

Joel Embiid - 15

James Harden - 14

Tyrese Maxey - 6

Tobias Harris - 5

Shake Milton - 4

Paul Reed - 2

De’Anthony Melton - 1

Georges Niang - 1

Montrezl Harrell - 1

Matisse Thybulle - 1

The Sixers built off their Orlando win, defeating the San Antonio Spurs on the road 136-123 Friday. This was the type of performance against an inferior opponent that you want to see out of the Sixers; they took care of business, which allowed James Harden and Joel Embiid to log less than 28 minutes of play. Nearly everyone produced, including the bench who had three scorers in double-digits. The Sixers’ schedule only gets harder from here, but let’s talk about tonight’s standout performers:

Joel Embiid: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Embiid’s MVP campaign has been full steam ahead, and tonight’s game was another showcase of the big man’s dominance. The Spurs lack talent overall, but matching up against Jakob Poeltl, who is one of the more underrated bigs in the league, proved to be an excellent matchup. Embiid started off the game hitting some perimeter shots, before getting some easy buckets courtesy of James Harden. The Spurs are a scrappy team, and Embiid did a good job of boxing out and rebounding on the defensive end. Thirty-point, 10-rebound performances have become a standard for Embiid this year, and he did exactly what he needed to do to secure an easy W while playing a limited amount of minutes.

James Harden: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists

As all of you know, James Harden wasn’t named an All-Star. Most assumed he would go for a revenge type of game, scoring in a flurry. However, it was quite the opposite. Harden did what he’s done best this season, and the current assist-per-game leader set up his teammates well. It wasn’t a high-scoring Harden game, but he managed to hit some key shots to prevent the Spurs from making a serious run down the stretch.

Tyrese Maxey: 25 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

Maxey’s been struggling as of late, so his addition to this Bell Ringer is very much welcomed. He started off the game aggressive, getting warm with the starters and eventually leading the bench unit. He built on his first-half success, scoring in a flurry to end the third quarter, providing the Sixers with a much-needed cushion. Maxey leading the bench unit was key down the stretch, and allowed the all-bench squad to maintain a double-digit lead that led to a comfortable win. Hopefully, Maxey can build off of this performance and find consistency with his new role moving forward.