2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 22
Joel Embiid – 9
VJ Edgecombe – 9
Paul George – 6
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 4
Jared McCain :’( – 3
Dominick Barlow – 2
Andre Drummond – 2
Justin Edwards – 2
Jabari Walker – 1
MarJon Beauchamp – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1
It’s hard to think of a team that needed a win for a morale boost quite like the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fortunately, they got it on Tuesday, coming from behind to beat the Memphis Grizzlies
139-129 in South Philadelphia.
Tipoff came less than a half hour after it was confirmed by the team that Tyrese Maxey has a tendon injury in his pinky and will be reevaluated in three weeks. Joel Embiid (oblique) and Paul George (suspension) are also still sidelined… so I’m sure the mental status of everyone on the roster was just stellar going into this one.
At least rookie VJ Edgecombe returned for the contest after a three-game hiatus due to a lumbar contusion from a hard fall taken in a game last week. He didn’t seem to be in any pain on Tuesday, getting back to work with physicality and even a nice soaring dunk at one point.
Though the Sixers were being a bit outmatched for some of this, it didn’t stop them from getting energetic for the second half comeback. After once trailing the Grizzlies by 14 points in the third, the shorthanded Philadelphia squad battled back, outscoring the visitors 41-25 in the final frame to grab the victory at home. And, it all included some excellent individual performances, which we will get to below!
The Sixers will now have a day off on Wednesday before hitting the road again — this time to visit the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: 31 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block
It was good to see Kelly Oubre Jr. start this one off strong after a tough game for him on Monday that saw him pick up quick fouls and rendered him pretty much irrelevant for the rest of the contest (he only played 13 minutes). He looked much different on Tuesday. Oubre hit a triple on the first possession of the game and got more physically involved from there, starting to drive straight into the Grizzlies defense and finishing at the rim more often, helping him score 11 points in his first nine minutes.
It was far from his most efficient night shooting, especially the jumper, with Oubre going just 10-for-24 from the floor and 1-for-9 from long range. That being said, he kept doing what did work, which was using his speed and agility to go through traffic to the bucket whenever he could, scoring there and drawing more than a few fouls out of the Grizzlies in the process. He was making the right cuts off the ball and simply kept taking advantage of the right opportunities with his aggressive drives. Oubre even made some really good plays defensively, especially down the stretch.
He was also by far the best rebounder the Sixers had tonight, leading Philadelphia with 12 boards and trailing only Memphis’ Cedric Coward, who led the field with 16.
Oubre finished this one with a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double. He also had one assist, two steals and a block.
Cam Payne: 32 points (8-for-8 triples), 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
After scoring just two points on free throws in a the last few minutes of the first quarter when he was subbed in, Cam Payne exploded in the second. The second-time Sixer scored 11 straight points (including three triples) for Philadelphia across two minutes early in the second and chipped in another three later in the frame as well to round out his perfect 5-for-5 field goal, 4-for-4 from long range period. And that’s not even mentioning the defensive plays made in-between all the scoring. He finished the first half with 16 points, one rebound, three assists, a steal and two blocks — all in 12 minutes off the bench.
He wasn’t done. Though he did miss one two-point field goal, Payne stayed red hot from long range. And by red hot, I mean perfect. Payne tied his career-high for triples (seven) on seven attempts with over six minutes left in the fourth. He sank one more to simultaneously set new career marks in both triples (eight now) and points (32). This was Payne’s first +30-point game in his career — and he’s in his 11th NBA season.
Couldn’t have come at a better time if you ask me!
Payne finished this one with 32 points on 9-for-10 field goal shooting, 8-for-8 shooting from long range, three rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks in 30 minutes off the bench.
VJ Edgecombe: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
After three games sidelined due to a lumbar contusion, VJ Edgecombe was back in the lineup on Tuesday night. His shot was a bit off at times, especially from long range — something one might expect after missing a week of game action — but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to find ways to chip in from the jump, even if it just meant getting himself to the free throw line early while he got into the groove of the game.
Edgecombe seemed to really settle in more and more as the contest went on — another thing one might expect after a week off. The rookie was absolutely hustling, using everything in his bag to help facilitate and contribute to the Sixers’ comeback in the second half of this one. Considering the lineup he was playing in and the leadership role he was tasked with tonight, I’m not sure you could have asked for a more encouraging injury return from the rookie.
Edgecombe finished Tuesday with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
