Sixers Bell Ringer: Jared McCain, Paul George lone positives in embarrassing loss to Heat

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:

Jared McCain – 5

Tyrese Maxey – 2

Paul George – 2

Guerschon Yabusele – 2

Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

The Philadelphia 76ers keep resetting the bar on just how bad a basketball team with multiple All-Star players can look. From up 19 points to down 20, the Sixers hit a new level of disappointing tonight with a 106-89 loss to the Miami Heat, who were on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) missed this one, his sixth straight absence, but will reportedly be re-evaluated early this week. Joel Embiid ended up playing after being listed as doubtful midday Monday with an illness. For the Heat, Jaime Jaquez, Jr., (right ankle sprain) and Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) were both sidelined. Fortunately for them, it didn’t matter.

It’s wild to look at the final score tonight and realize that there was a time early on where the Sixers were up 19 points and cruising in the second period. Then, surprise surprise, it unraveled. The lead dwindled to just three by halftime, and then Philadelphia completely disappeared in the third period (as they have repeatedly early this season) scoring just 16 points in the frame. By midway through the fourth, the Heat were up 20 and the only ones left watching the Sixers were those of us who had to, like us sickos here at Liberty Ballers.

Rookie Jared McCain remained the lone consistent bright spot for this team with 20 points— his fifth consecutive 20-point game. Paul George added 18 points, looking a bit better than he did Friday against the Orlando Magic but still struggling from long range.

The Sixers’ road trip continues on Wednesday night with a visit to the Memphis Grizzlies, who will be on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer.

Jared McCain: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say a big reason fans are still watching the Sixers at all (those that still are) is because of Jared McCain. Luckily for them, he remains consistently an immensely impressive talent as a 20-year-old rookie still in the infancy of his NBA career. The unfortunate part is, he’s the only consistent guy on a roster that is, on paper, stacked with multiple All-Stars.

McCain notched his fifth consecutive 20-point game on Monday night. He continues to find consistent success no matter who else is on the floor with him, and he has found the perfect balance of doing absolutely everything in his power to try to help this team without trying to do too much and forcing things that aren’t working. In his first 11 minutes on the floor, McCain had 12 points on 5-for-6 field goal shooting and 2-for-3 from long range. His jumpers were smooth, and he continues to have no hesitation at all to use his fancy footwork, athleticism and strong finishing to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league.

The rookie also continues to make plays for his teammates with four assists tonight and he was active and strong on defense throughout. It is insane to keep repeating ourselves here but it just bears repeating: McCain is the most consistent, productive player right now on a roster that has league veterans, multiple All-Stars and a former MVP. And all before he even turns 21.

McCain finished tonight with a team-leading 20 points on 8-for-16 field goal shooting (4-for-9 from downtown) with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Paul George: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

George went right to work on Monday night, scoring the Sixers first five points on a triple and a step-back jumper. Things stayed smooth for PG throughout the first period, and it was an encouraging sight after the rough night shooting he had last Friday in Orlando. George scored 12 points in the first period on 4-for-7 field goal shooting (1-for-2 from three-point range), and he seemed to be in a groove.

The groove, unfortunately, didn’t carry over to the second period where he put up a goose egg for points on 0-for-3 shooting from the floor, all from long range. Honestly, it feels like no one on this Sixers team can hit their triples, even open looks, except the damn rookie! But I digress…

George continued to struggle from long range into the second half, so he started focusing more on driving into the paint to finish at the rim and drawing contact to get to the foul line. Four of his six third period points were from the charity stripe. (Six points of Philadelphia’s 16 total in the third frame…) After that point, though, the game was all but over. Despite the rough shooting from the field (5-for-13), George finished with 18 points on Monday with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The biggest problem for PG right now is just that the three pointers aren’t falling. He was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc tonight and they weren’t always shots that were at all contested. It’s a problem that seems to be plaguing all Sixers not named Jared McCain, with wide open looks from long range just way off. That being said, at least George is doing what he can to produce in other ways: setting up his teammates with good looks, working his own midrange jumper and driving into the paint into contact for layups and trips to the line, and being aggressive on defense and on the glass. When a team is struggling the way the Sixers are right now, all those little things add up.