Sixers Bell Ringer: Philadelphia demolishes San Antonio in return home

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid – 17
Ben Simmons – 7
Tobias Harris – 6
Shake Milton – 4
Matisse Thybulle – 2
Tyrese Maxey – 1
Dakota Mathias – 1

The city of Philadelphia received the fortunate news Saturday night that Joel Embiid’s knee injury was only a bone bruise and would not require more than a few weeks’ absence. The Sixers then celebrated Sunday night by putting forth their third-straight outstanding performance post-All Star Break, the team’s fifth-straight win overall.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag and emptied the bench in the third quarter. And who can blame him? The Sixers tallied an incredible 46 points in the third, scoring on 22 of 23 possessions in the period, and converted on 21 straight possessions carrying over into the fourth quarter. Philadelphia’s lead hovered around 40 points for quite some time in an eventual 134-99 win. It was the worst loss in Spurs franchise history. What a nice treat for the 3,000-plus fans who were finally able to return to the Wells Fargo Center. Who ya got for Bell Ringer?

Tobias Harris: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover

Tobias is one of the players who will have the ball in his hands more while Embiid is out, so it makes sense he tied a season-high with his seven assists against the Spurs, including on perfect lob to Dwight Howard in transition. Harris also paced the scoring for the club, shooting 10-of-18 from the field and finishing a team-best plus-36. The Sixers’ could-have-been-an-All-Star forward knocked down his jumpers, tore through Spurs defenders on his way to the rim, and sent Lonnie Walker through the spin cycle.

Seth Curry: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 turnovers

Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

Seth was another guy who filled the Joel-less void, getting up a season-high 16 shot attempts. The strategy worked out beautifully for the Sixers, as the best Curry hit nine of those shots, including a 3-of-6 mark from behind the arc. Curry set up his teammates as well, most prominently finding Tony Bradley under the basket with a gorgeous left-handed wrap-around pass. Seth getting back to pre-COVID form would be very helpful for the Sixers as they look to stay in first without Embiid for a bit.

Ben Simmons: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

After missing a couple of games due to his barber testing positive for COVID-19, Simmons returned to the court and was in full BenJammin’ mode. The Spurs wanted absolutely nothing to do with slowing Ben down in transition and he threw down more than one titanic one-handed slam. I also liked the sweet little baby hook Simmons unleashed for three buckets. It was a solid return to action for Ben, finishing 6-of-9 from the field and providing his usual high level of distribution.

Danny Green: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover

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Danny kickstarted this whole thing tonight, hitting his first four shots, three of them 3s, and also converting a rare floater off the dribble. He would finish the evening 4-of-7 from downtown, while also playing solid defense with a pair of blocks. I could only remember one head-shaking “Danny Green play,” when he took a pass on the wing in transition and rather than getting the easy lay-up, dribbled it into a turnover. Otherwise, nothing but high marks for Mr. I Have 3 Rings.

Matisse Thybulle: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers

Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

Matisse Thybulle is the ghost story opposing offenses tell around the campfire. Philadelphia’s smiling ninja was once again a terror on the defensive end, doubling down at the perfect moment, flying out of nowhere for a block, or jumping the passing lane for the runout dunk. Oh, and Matisse apparently doesn’t miss shots anymore. He shot 4-of-4 from the field (now 13-of-15 across his last three games), including two triples.

Dwight Howard: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Nobody benefited more from the fans returning than the man who had still been gesturing to empty arenas pre-game all season. Dwight brought the energy again, continuing a really nice stretch for play for him, crashing the boards and finishing with his thunder dunks. He also had an excellent high-low find to Mike Scott, and I don’t know how new this is, but I hadn’t caught his “goggles” celebration before for a nice pass by himself or a teammate. Just delightful Howard minutes all the way around.