2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 17
VJ Edgecombe – 5
Paul George – 5
Joel Embiid – 3
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 Sixers dropped their second game in a row to the Cavaliers on Friday, blowing an 11-point fourth quarter lead.
It was a second consecutive difficult night for the starting backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, combining for only 32 points. Cleveland’s second-year wing Jaylon Tyson put up a career-high 39 points, missing only four shots on 17 attempts.
This caused the Sixers to play through Embiid for most of the game offensively, which had some consequential side-effects in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers’ relentless rim pressure in the final frame displayed Embiid’s physical shortcomings, and surged them back into the game with the chance to win the game in the final seconds.
Lonzo Ball inbounded the ball with eight seconds remaining, gave it to the on-fire Tyson who drove baseline and dropped off a beautiful wrap-around pass to Evan Mobley for an easy layup. With no timeouts remaining and just a few seconds remaining, the Sixers were forced into a last-second heave from Maxey, which missed wide right.
Lets get to Bell Ringer, then forget this two-game stretch ever existed.
Joel Embiid: 33 points, 10-of-22 FG, 11-of-12 FT, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Embiid was the sole source of offense for the Sixers on Friday, as the Cavs continued to enforce strong defense against the Sixers guards. He got into a groove early on after making his first couple shots, and began mixing up his offensive attack.
His free-throw line jumper and appears to be in pristine condition as he continues to find his touch in the midrange. He had a couple possessions taking Mobley on with power dribbles, getting to his fade and the rim with ease.
He was persistently drawing fouls no matter if it was Mobley or Jarrett Allen on him, slowing the game down to fit his style of play. He came out strong offensively in the second half, accounting for most of the teams points in the third. It would begin to trickle off in the fourth, as more was being asked of him on the defensive end. He had an insane chase down block on Hunter, but other than that, was largely getting picked on late with consistent rim attacks.
Adem Bona: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks
There are two moments to highlight from Bona’s performance. The first came in the second quarter where in a span of 30 seconds, Bona threw down a cutting dunk, defended Mobley on the perimeter, blocked Tyson’s layup, and blocked a Tyrese Proctor layup on the next possession.
The second moment came in the fourth quarter, where he lost one of his shoes, and played about five possessions straight as if everything was normal.
Honorable Mentions: Tyrese Maxey (9 assists, 5 steals), Quentin Grimes (7 rebounds)
Both receive honorary nominations for their team-leading stats, despite both having subpar shooting nights.
