Sixers Bell Ringer: Another asterisk loss to shorthanded Sixers in Atlanta

Note: No traditional recap post for tonight’s game. View all your complaints here.

Sixers Bell Ringer season ranking:

Joel Embiid – 4
Tobias Harris – 3
Milton Shake – 1
Tyrese Maxey – 1
Dakota Mathias – 1

With Joel Embiid back on the team and the return of him and Mike Scott bringing the Sixers’ squad back to nine players, it looked like Philadelphia might have a better chance of getting a win tonight in Atlanta. At least at the beginning, things looked good, with 16 points from Embiid in the first quarter helping the Sixers to a four point lead at the end of the period. However, things like “having to play Embiid and Dwight Howard together” and “once Bell Ringer Dakota Mathias started” eventually started to influence, and the Hawks overcame the Sixers by 36 in the second and third quarters. It also didn’t help that veterans Scott and Danny Green agreed to shoot 1 of 16 off the ground for the game.

A few minutes after the third quarter, with a consecutive approach, Embiid ended the night and Alaa was showing obscure William & Mary factoids in the broadcast. The seats were completely empty for much of the fourth period and we saw more ball handling by Tony Bradley than I ever imagined. Final: Atlanta 112, Philadelphia 94. Adam Silver, remind me again why the Sixers have to endure these defeats when other teams have their games postponed. We will choose a bell “THEY HATE THE PROCESS”.

Joel Embiid: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 turns

Scott Cunningham / NBAE photo via Getty Images

As mentioned above, the start of the game showed signs of performance such as “Embiid drags the team to victory”. He scored 16 points in the first quarter, catching Hawks’ big guys with his hands on him and wisely pulling the foul (he ended up with 7 of 8 on the line), and fired skillfully and, if necessary, through defense. He was certainly guilty on a few occasions for trying to make too many things happen, which led to one or two strange stumbles, but all of his 24 points came in the first half, and with one or two more regular rotation players in the fold, Joel could be able to make a game of it.

Tyrese Maxey: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turns

Scott Cunningham / NBAE photo via Getty Images

Maxey has by far been the real delight of the “Adam Silver mocks the Sixers” season and the tower has not disappointed yet again. He showed the ability to pass by his defender and repeatedly threw it out of the glass of the zone between a corridor and a tray. Maxey also hit a mid-range pull-up and if he hits that shot consistently, the league better appeal to higher power. On the defensive end, Trae Young had some success getting into the arc and throwing lobs at Clint Capela, but I wouldn’t say that Tyrese did a bad job with him. He forced some hard shots, pushed the ball away in one play and timed a Trae pull-up 3 for a block so quickly and perfectly that I started to have convulsions of joy in my living room.

Isaiah Joe: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover

Defensively, Joe is easily pushed out of place and is not fast enough to stand in front of smaller guards. But given the prolonged playing time of the past few days, he has shown that his main skill – shooting the stone – really translates to the NBA level. Joe finished 4 out of 7 out of 3 and showed no hesitation in the last few games to climb a few inches beyond the hoop. If nothing else, being able to rain from anywhere within 26 feet gives the Sixers something to build on by choosing the second round.