Sixers Bell Ringer: Butler, Grimes shine in South Philly debut but 76ers fall to Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers fell 106-103 to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, but Jared Butler and Quentin Grimes looked at home on their new team and Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 27 points.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 15
Jared McCain – 8
Joel Embiid – 8
Paul George – 7
Guerschon Yabusele – 4
Kelly Oubre Jr – 2
Ricky Council IV – 2
KJ Martin – 2
Justin Edwards – 2
Adem Bona – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1

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Wait… we still have to cover this team this week? We haven’t even had the parade yet!

I mean. Uh. The Philadelphia 76ers fell 106-103 to the Toronto Raptors in their penultimate game before the approaching All-Star break.

The first quarter or so of basketball from the Sixers’ in this one left a lot to be desired, to say the least. In their second-worst opening frame of the season, Philadelphia put up just 18 points to Toronto’s 26. They pulled back into things midway through the second quarter though, thanks to some timely buckets from some young guns like Justin Edwards, Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler. The Sixers pulled out in front of the Raptors by halftime with a two-point lead at the break. Joel Embiid led the floor at the midway point with 17 points.

The latter half was a much less lopsided affair. Rather than either team staging big runs, the teams traded buckets and small leads with the game knotted up still with just a few minutes remaining. The Sixers actually had a chance to win the game, with possession of the ball down just two points with 20 seconds remaining. With Embiid wide open beyond the arc… this happened:

Yeah, your guess is as good as mine. Sixers fall 106-103. For a full recap, check that out here.

The Sixers have one more before the All-Star break, heading to New York City to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Yes, this is another back-to-back for Philadelphia. Make that seven of those since the start of the new year.

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

Jared Butler: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal (in 15:41 played)

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Butler probably endeared himself to a few fans in South Philly with this performance (if the end of the game didn’t wipe all good things from their minds…) on both ends of the floor. With 15 points on 6-for-10 field goal shooting, four rebounds (one offensive) and four assists for his teammates, Butler seems to be feeling very comfortable in a roster he’s only been on for a few days.

Oh, and he did all that in just 15:41 played, by the way. In his second period stint, Butler posted eight points, three rebounds and two assists in eight minutes. In just over seven minutes in the fourth frame, he tacked seven more points (off a triple and two driving lay-ups), another rebound and two more assists.

It’s nothing fancy or crazy highlight-worthy, he’s simply playing good fundamental basketball and providing a great spark for this Sixers’ team off the bench — a palpable spark that hopefully means he’ll continue to get more playing time from Nick Nurse.

Quentin Grimes: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Another newcomer looking right at home with the Sixers is Quentin Grimes. Putting up 13 points off the bench Tuesday, he has now scored double-digits points in each of his first three games as a Sixer. Those 13 points didn’t come off the most efficient shooting, with Grimes shooting just 5-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-6 from long range, but he is still looking like a damn good addition providing some production for the Sixers. He isn’t afraid of a catch-and-shoot triple, is willing to drive into and finish through contact, fights for loose balls off the glass. He had seven rebounds with three on the offensive end, tied the team-high for assists with four, and had two steals.

I must not be the only one noticing his ability, either, with Nick Nurse starting Grimes over Justin Edwards in the second half of this one. Grimes ended up playing over 35 minutes off the bench against the Raptors — wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see him slotted into the starting lineup sooner or later.

Joel Embiid: 27 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Look, I’m not going to tell you I think Embiid looks fully healthy. He doesn’t. The team isn’t even really claiming that he is at this point. The fact of the matter here is, though, that he continues to produce in spite of it. It is less aggressive than in the past with less bully ball into a ton of contact, but the points and rebounds count all the same this way.

Embiid worked the things he is good at — creating space for his teammates, drawing in defenses, scoring points and grabbing boards. He was finishing at the cup and, on drives he couldn’t take all the way to the rim, he’d hit from his midrange zone of comfort around the foul line. He also drew a ton of fouls off the Raptors and sank 10 of 13 attempts from the charity stripe. Maybe it’s not fun highlights or flashy dunks, what have you, but the production is there. Embiid finished with a team-leading 27 points on 8-for-19 field goal shooting with 12 rebounds, five coming on the offensive end. He also had four assists, a block and a steal.

(Whether he should be out there if he isn’t 100% healthy is irrelevant here, though a valid question. We aren’t here to debate valid questions, though, we just pick Bell Ringers.)

I have to include, however, how horrifically Embiid ended this game. Firstly, he couldn’t seem to sink a shot in the second half of the last frame. Then, the turnover with the game on the line was just so egregiously bad and, more importantly, completely unnecessary. Just take the damn shot! This was so bad that I almost removed Embiid from Bell Ringer contention, but it’s slim pickins these days.