Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers Still Healthy Crushes Sacramento

Note: There is no traditional recap post for this game.

Sixers Bell Ringer season ranking:

Joel Embiid – 17
Tobias Harris – 8
Ben Simmons – 7
Milton Shake – 4
Matisse Thybulle – 2
Tyrese Maxey – 1
Dakota Mathias – 1
Furkan Korkmaz – 1

Earlier in the day, the Sixers lost two entries to Joel Embiid and Seth Curry. Then, after a shot, Ben Simmons was also dropped due to pain in his knees. Suddenly, things were a little complicated for the Sixers in their last game at home before embarking on a six-game trip. However, the rest of the squad more than took care of their business from the start, doubling the Kings in the first quarter, 42-21.

Throughout the game, Philadelphia had it all out, finishing 11 of 23 behind the hoop (an even better mark before trash time). The Sixers’ lead would increase to up to 36 points in the third quarter. The only downside was that the Kings reduced the lead to less than 20 in the fourth quarter, precipitating the return of the starting lineup, which was not ideal given tomorrow’s consecutive game in New York. Still, we will have the convincing victory by 129-105. For the Bell Ringer!

Tobias Harris: 29 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t think I could find anything negative in what was a perfect game for Tobias Harris. With an even greater offensive load than usual with the two All-Stars absent, the results were fantastic, with Tobias giving a record of eight assists this season. Tobi could have had his first triple-double career if the game had been more competitive and he played his normal quota of minutes (he only registered 30 tonight). In the scoring department, it didn’t matter what the Kings did to try to stop Harris. He hit open jumpers, contested jumpers and bullied his way through traffic, finishing 12 out of 18 on the field. Tobias’ 23 points in the first half were the highest in another season this season. I bet Sacramento looks like he played an All-Star tonight.

Danny Green: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 0 turnovers

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

In general, you know very quickly whether Danny is feeling it or not, and he certainly was feeling it on Saturday night. Green hit three 3s in the first quarter, ending with 4 of 6 in the city center. But his offensive game was not limited to accurate 3s, since Green came on the scene and hit some jumpers inside the arc as well. He also threw a beautiful alley-oop pass to Matisse Thybulle in the transition, and pulled out a TJ McConnell with a bucket robbery in the backcourt. We watched an effective and highly entertaining game from the veterans wing.

Milton Shake: 28 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turns

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Shake was the rare Sixer who had a difficult start in this game, hitting just 1 of 6 for four points in the first quarter. Milton was excellent from there, however, ending his night with 9 of 17 pitches and 9 of 11 from the foul line for 28 points, tied for his second highest total in a game this season. You have to love Milton’s aggressiveness, as the 11 free-throw attempts represented a career boost. In addition, Shake’s ability to create enough space for himself to take down those mid-range pull-up and turnaround jumpers is a necessary dynamic for the Sixers’ attack.

Tony Bradley: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 return

Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE photo via Getty Images

Tonight wasn’t exactly the “MVP Tony Bradley” in the Bulls game, but it was close. I am still impressed by Tony’s soft hands and the touch around the basket. He made some difficult footprints in the traffic and converted it into a pair of very smooth hook pitches. Defensively, Bradley is usually in the right place and does nothing to harm his team. His block was a good move to help take down a De’Aaron Fox.

Matisse Thybulle: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers

Mitchell Leff photo / Getty Images

Tonight was not the usual stock ride for Thybulle, but we still saw him teleport a block behind De’Aaron Fox and instantly flash his arms to steal a Buddy Hield ticket in a trap. We know his defensive abilities, so it was also great to see Matisse offensively enter the game, making it 2 out of 4 from the city center. That’s all the Sixers really need from him – drop some jumpers, take the correct readings to swing the ball around the perimeter and get out of the transition.