2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 18
VJ Edgecombe – 6
Joel Embiid – 5
Paul George – 5
Andre Drummond – 2
Dominick Barlow – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Jared McCain – 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1
The Philadelphia 76ers fell in dramatic fashion (of course) 112-109 to the visiting New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon.
It was a tale of two halves this afternoon. The first featured a dominant 28-point performance from Joel Embiid
on 12 shots that helped lead the Sixers to a slight advantage by halftime.
The second half… not so fun for Philly. The Sixers put up their worst period since Jan. 2, 2024, scoring just 13 points in the frame compared to the Knicks’ 30. Philadelphia started the fourth just as cold and it seemed like the game might already be over before a late push pulled them back within single digits. It was too little, too late, though. After a wild final minute (that felt like it took 20 minutes real time), the Knicks walked away with a 112-109 victory over the Sixers.
The Sixers will now fly out of Philly (before the snowstorm arrives) to visit the Charlotte Hornets on Monday evening.
Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer. Not many choices from this one.
Joel Embiid: 38 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block
Embiid was coming off a triple-double performance in the Sixers’ overtime win over the Houston Rockets just a few days ago. Having played nearly 46 minutes in that Thursday evening contest, just the fact that Embiid was available for this one was great to see.
The fatigue didn’t seem to bother him much. Instead, we got vintage Joel to start this one.
I’ll be honest, there was a time I didn’t know if we’d ever see the big fella do that again.
Embiid did a lot more than that, though, leading the Sixers right out of the gate with a field-leading 15 points in the opening frame on 5-for-7 field goal shooting in his first 10 minutes. The Knicks could not slow him down. Mitchell Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns… it didn’t seem to matter who they tried to put on him, Embiid simply was unstoppable. By halftime, he had 28 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the floor. Let me say that again: he had 28 points by halftime, on 12 shots, less than 48 hours after playing 46 minutes.
The big fella did seem to slow down in the second half (along with the entire Sixers’ squad) and was dealing with some pain after New York’s Ariel Hukporti landed on Embiid’s knee battling for a ball on the floor. He kept battling, though, leading the Sixers’ late charge to pull back within single digits of the Knicks in the final frame. Embiid finished the contest with 38 points (13-for-21 field goals, 3-for-5 from three) with 11 rebounds, five assists and one block.
Embiid may not be the same guy he was a few seasons ago health-wise, but damn if he isn’t making it work anyway. He’s moving well, hitting silky-smooth jumpers, getting up for boards and defense, and clearly isn’t shy or worried about using his body to drive hard to the rim. It’s all extremely encouraging to see. Now, if only the rest of the squad could figure some things out…
Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
There were definitely times in this one that it seemed like fatigue and frustration were getting the better of Tyrese Maxey, but he kept battling and was a driving force in the Sixers’ last game push to try to come from behind. It was also his best night from long range in about two weeks, sinking 3-of-7 attempts (42.9%) from beyond the arc. He was 8-for-15 from the floor overall and had six assists. Maxey was able to maneuver through the Knicks defense into the paint and was hitting some nice pull-ups.
This wasn’t the best Maxey game overall, we can be honest about that. That being said, he was the only other real scoring threat the Sixers had in this one besides Embiid. With Embiid putting up 38 and Maxey adding 22, the duo combined for 55% of the Sixers’ 109 total points.
(No, this doesn’t mean I like Maxey forcing up that last three-point attempt even if the Knicks were trying to intentionally foul. It’s too risky of a move to rely on the whistle and there was enough time to just try to get a better shot.)
