Sixers Bell Ringer: Blizzard of 3 in Utah spoils Ben Simmons career night

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Ranking:

Joel Embiid – 12
Tobias Harris – 5
Ben Simmons – 4
Shake Milton – 3
Tyrese Maxey – 1
Dakota Mathias – 1
Matisse Thybulle – 1

Joel Embiid was a late scratch for this game due to back strain, so understandably the Sixers shot 16 of 23 (69.6%) in the first quarter on their way to 42 points. However, that lead had evaporated with five minutes into the second quarter, as Utah empirically proved three is greater than two, knocking 18-3 in the game against Philadelphia’s eight – a 30-point gap behind the arc. . Led by Jordan Clarkson’s eight 3s and 40s, Utah held off a brave Sixers who made it a two-possession game for much of the fourth quarter, and ultimately beat Philadelphia, 134-123. Let’s talk about Bell Ringer.

Ben Simmons: 42 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers

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Wow. There’s the aggressive Ben Simmons, and then there’s what we saw of Ben on Monday night, which I would equate to the gap between Super Saiyan 2 and 3. His first quarter was quite a spectacle, because he lost 19 points on 7 shots out of 7, plus five assists. It was easily a career high for a quarterback for Ben and a unique achievement in NBA history.

The Jazz chose to use crosses Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors to keep Simmons, and with Ben practically at 5 on offense in the minutes Mike Scott was there, he had tracks wide open to charge downhill and attack the basket. And he attacked, with short bank shots, lay-ins, floats and hooks. Simmons tied his previous career high 34 points in the third quarter and eventually joined Allen Iverson and Embiid as the only Sixers to score at least 40 points this millennium. Remarkably, in addition to his 15 of 26 shooting line, Simmons also shot 12 of 13 from the foul line; he’s now at 63.9 percent at the line for the year, continuing to improve every year of his career in that department.

After the game, Ben discussed his need to mentally focus on constant attacking and how he has been feeling improved in that area in recent weeks. Sorry, other All-Star prospects on the sidelines of the Eastern Conference, someone decided to look down.

Tobias Harris: 36 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers

Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

With Simmons and Clarkson’s score totals absorbing a lot of conversational oxygen, Tobias had one of the quietest 36-point games you’ve ever seen. As usual, he was incredibly efficient, shooting 14 of 24 from the ground, 3 of 5 of 3 and 5 of 5 on the charity strip. Like Ben, Harris started off well, registering 14 points in the first quarter, a rating that was also his best season in a quarter. Tobi had some very confident plays as a pick-and-roll ball handler, shooting wholeheartedly for the jumper as soon as the open look showed up. He also made a number of strong punches, bouncing off defenders and performing spinning moves on his way to the rim. The Sixers’ non-Joel All-Star prospects have certainly made their case in Utah.

Dwight Howard: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover

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Dwight arguably played his best game as a Sixer, with the 14 points being a season high for the big man. Howard was relentless on the offensive glass, collecting six offensive boards and shooting a respectable 4 of 6 from the foul line. He also didn’t try to overdo it with the dribbling, and didn’t commit moving screens and then stare at the referee like the concept was foreign to him. He remained determined to tackle loose balls with as much energy as he could muster and played a pretty disciplined game otherwise – great things!

We also learned after the game that Howard had a death in the family and Doc Rivers didn’t even expect him to play, but Dwight wanted out. Huge efforts by Dwight in what I’m sure were terrible circumstances for him.