Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers shed stink in dominant win over Detroit

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:
Jared McCain – 7
Tyrese Maxey – 3
Paul George – 2
Guerschon Yabusele – 2
Justin Edwards – 1
Joel Embiid – 1
Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 111-96. Normally, this wouldn’t be cause for much celebration, but nothing about this season has been normal for the Sixers. So we’ll take this return to normalcy when we can get it.

Paul George re-returned to the lineup, but the Sixers were still without Joel Embiid, Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry, and then lost Andre Drummond in the first quarter to a rolled ankle. So it was terrifically refreshing to see them rack up 37 points in the first, their highest scoring first quarter of the year.

Then, after the Pistons had clawed their way back into things, Philadelphia avoided the third quarter bugaboo with a 32-17 advantage in that frame. They earned their first 20-point lead of the season, which all the way in Game 18 now, shows how depressing this season has been to this point.

Regardless, for one night, we saw the Sixers team we had been expecting when this roster was assembled. Even with some guys out, there was enough talent to easily take care of a team projected to be back in the lottery. Let’s talk Bell Ringer.

KJ Martin: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover

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Martin received an expanded role after Drummond’s injury and his energy changed the game on both ends of the court. His 19 points were his high as a Sixer, going 7-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the foul line. He made a pair of long corner jumpers, finished in transition and with baseline cuts, and had an incredibly athletic putback dunk. On the other end, Martin carried the load for the team’s rim protection with a trio of blocks at the rim. His rejection of Isaiah Stewart at the buzzer before halftime felt like a huge play, preventing the Pistons from making it a one-possession game. KJ often gets mentioned because of his balloon contract and corresponding trade chip potential, but tonight was a nice reminder of everything he can bring to the table on the court for the Sixers.

Ricky Council IV: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers

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The other energy guy off the bench, Council dropped a season-high 17 points, bullying his way to the rim repeatedly and continuing his knack for getting to the charity stripe at a high clip (6-of-7 from the foul line). Though he got a friendly roll on one three-point attempt, the shot certainly didn’t look smooth, but his relentlessness in going after the ball on both ends helped ramp up the intensity for a squad that has often looked…passive this year. RC4 played within himself and the flow of the game and if he’s going to bring all these positive attributes to the table, it’s going to be hard for Nick Nurse not to continue to find time for him.

Tyrese Maxey: 28 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers

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Tonight was actually a pretty poor first half from Tyrese, but great players have the ability to explode at any moment, and No. 0 took control immediately after halftime. Detroit had closed to within five points heading into the locker room, and Sixers fans who’ve watched this team at all this season were wondering if they were really going to blow it. But Maxey hit a pair of threes and a pair of layups to score Philadelphia’s first 10 points of the third quarter. Suddenly, the lead was back to a comfortable double-digit margin and the Sixers would never look back.

Paul George: 11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers

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George was back after hyperextending his knee for the second time. Despite shooting just 4-of-12 from the field, PG made a huge impact on the game with his playmaking. George tallied four assists in the game’s first six minutes, gift-wrapping dunks to Andre Drummond and Adem Bona. The ball was moving a lot better and the defense was clearly focused on Paul when he was on the court. His bread-and-butter mid-range jumpers will start falling once he’s back to more consistent playing time, and then we’ll be cooking with gas. I should mention George had his other knee bent a bit when Simone Fontecchio landed on him and didn’t return to the game, but the Sixers were up big and Nick Nurse said post-game it was precautionary.