Regular Season Bell Ringer Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 1
Following a first half that saw the Philadelphia 76ers turn the ball over 14 times and trail Cleveland by as many as 29 points, the Sixers team we dreamed about all summer re-emerged in the second half. The Sixers ratcheted up the defensive intensity four or five notches, and were flying all over the court, scoring 14 fast break points in the third quarter alone as part of a 37-point frame. They kept up the intensity in the fourth and hit a number
of clutch shots down the stretch to keep the Cavaliers at arms-length for a 114-106 win. The 29-point comeback was the largest for the Sixers in the play-by-play era, the worst lead blown by the Cavaliers during the same time period, and the biggest comeback of LeBron James’ career (which has been going on for quite some time in case you’re just checking in). The Sixers move to 2-0 and that second half provided us with a glimpse of what sort of ceiling is possible with this squad.
Tyrese Maxey: 32 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
You can make a very credible argument that Tyrese Maxey was the best player on both ends of the court tonight. Tyrese was once again the most consistent scoring threat for the Sixers, flying up and down the floor, sometimes stopping and popping from three, but more often streaking all the way to the cup for crafty finishes around the rim. Philadelphia is running so many of their actions through him as the clear focal point of the offense. But the defensive end was probably where he changed the game even more. In the second half, Maxey started pressuring James Harden full-court, completely taking the Beard out of the game and disrupting Cleveland’s offensive rhythm. Harden got so frustrated that there was a sequence at one point where the former close teammates exchanged some shoves, leading to a bit of a scuffle between the two sides. It’s amazing that Tyrese has the juice to go full pedal to the metal on both sides of the ball for over 40 minutes.
Joel Embiid: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover
Like many of the Sixers, Joel had a shaky first half of action. But he found his offensive rhythm after halftime, scoring 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from the foul line. With the Sixers within striking distance in the fourth quarter but trying to do the always difficult thing of getting over the top following a long comeback, it was Joel who took over the game. Embiid went on a personal 7-0 run in a little over a minute, turning a six-point deficit into the Sixers’ first lead of the game at 96-95. He later hit a tough fadeaway over Jarrett Allen in crunch time to extend the lead to six points, capping off what was a scoring exhibition in the fourth.
Jaylen Brown: 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers
For the second straight game, I was impressed with Brown’s defensive intensity. He is taking on tough assignments, and you can see the effort he’s providing and how locked in he is on that end. One play I loved that won’t end up in the box score was Jaylen helping off his man to try and wrestle the ball away from Jarrett Allen around the nail, forcing a jump ball. Then, Brown also had a sequence where he took over the game offensively, taking the baton from Embiid during that fourth-quarter surge. He scored buckets on three consecutive possessions as part of the overall 15-0 Sixers run. It was reminiscent of Jimmy time back when Butler was with the team, where the Sixers could give it to the strong wing in isolation and let him handle the rest in the guts of the game.
