Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers play 58 minutes of mostly ugly basketball, lose to Bulls

Mar 21, 2023 - 3:00 AM

Philadelphia 76ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fwT4bYgF1A9jM_7sWXQtRJJcDKc=/0x270:5176x3182/1920x1080/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72096898/1248916536.0.jpg" />

Sixers Bell Ringer standings

Joel Embiid - 25
James Harden - 17
Tyrese Maxey - 11
Tobias Harris - 5
Shake Milton - 4
Paul Reed - 3
De’Anthony Melton - 1
Georges Niang - 1
Montrezl Harrell - 1
Matisse Thybulle - 1
Jalen McDaniels - 1

Ah, so you enjoy the inefficient offenses of college basketball in March, eh? Let’s bring it to the NBA level. Neither the Sixers nor the Bulls put on an offensive clinic tonight, and Philadelphia’s struggles were more befuddling as many of their 19 turnovers were self-imposed, via guys losing the handle unforced, failing to catch the ball, or falling over. Tonight will also go on the Mount Rushmore of bad games as a Sixer for James Harden, with chiseling set to begin as soon as the finishing touches are put on the likeness representing the end of the Miami series.

But the Sixers did get a few strong performances, and played solid team defense for the most part, so they still had a chance to steal this game and win their ninth straight. Alas, they couldn’t get a game-winner to fall at the end of regulation, nor could they finish out a victory after five additional minutes. Instead, we were forced to watch a double overtime period where the offense circled the drain even further once Joel Embiid fouled out, and the Sixers fell to Chicago, 109-105. Here are your Bell Ringer candidates:

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

De’Anthony Melton: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers

Mr. Do Something caught fire in the fourth quarter, giving the Sixers’ offense the jolt it badly needed, and briefly giving fans legitimate hope that this game would turn out alright after all. Melton hit three of his five three-pointers on the game in the final period of regulation, also adding two steals in the frame, as every play of his seemed to come at a vastly pivotal moment. Melton stuck around with the finishing lineup, and after the game went to extras, he converted an insane reverse baseline drive to kick off overtime. He finally cooled off from distance during bonus basketball, going 0-of-4 across the two overtimes, but it was still just an elite 3-and-D performance from D-Melt, who topped off the triples and steals with an uber-athletic swat of Ayo Dosunmu in transition late in the third quarter. I wish the Sixers could have pulled this out mostly so we could remember the fourth quarter as the Melton game.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Joel Embiid: 37 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 5 turnovers

It was another absurd, yet routine night for Joel in a long string of absurd, yet routine nights. Embiid tallied his 10th straight game with at least 30 points, the longest streak for a center since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001. The big man was able to slice through the defense time and again, decisively using step-throughs and spin moves to get to the rim and power home buckets. Faced with a four-point halftime deficit, the big man did his best to put the team and carry this game home, scoring 18 of his 37 points in the third quarter. Joel also had a couple excellent rejections around the basket, and played fairly effective defense through the second half of the fourth quarter and first overtime after picking up his fifth foul with 6:16 left in regulation. Sad to see Embiid lose his first career game to the Bulls, but at least the streak fell with the superstar laying it all out on the court.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Maxey’s ability to use his speed to get to the rim was one of the Sixers’ few avenues to productive offense throughout the night. As the game tightened up late, Philadelphia often turned to Tyrese to just try and create something out of nothing, and he delivered with a game-tying bucket inside the final minute of regulation, and a big three to tie the game at 97 in the first overtime. He was eventually overextended and forced up some bad misses through no fault of his own, but there were moments when we thought that Maxey magic just might be enough to pull this win out for Philadelphia.